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Intel rebrands: Core i3, i5, i7 are in, Centrino on the outs
Intel's doing some spring cleaning on its branding structure, adding new Cores on the block. Joining the high-level Core i7 series will be the mid range Core i5 in the coming months and the lower-end Core i3's early next year. To be more specific, the Lynnfield chipsets will be either i5 or i7 depending on the feature set, Clarkfield mobile chips will be i7, and the 32nm Arrandale will at least at first fall under i3. Of course, with the new gang in town, some older monikers will be going wayside, and getting the slow fade out are Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, and Centrino, the latter being eventually marginalized for WiMAX and WiFi products only. Making the cut are Celeron, Pentium, and the ever-resilient Atom names. We're a bit sad to know there will never be a Core 2 Dodeca, but hey, it's only a name, right?. Hit up the read link for more details, including a video interview with Intel's VP of Marketing Deborah Conrad.[Via CNET]Read - Intel's New Brand Structure ExplainedRead - Fewer Brands, Greater Impact
ARM promises dual-core Cortex A9-based smartphones next year
The world's two most visually engaging smartphones -- the iPhone and the Pre -- share very similar cores based on ARM's Cortex A8 architecture, and with the newer, more advanced Cortex A9 in the pipeline, you can't help but let your mind wander a bit as you envision what twice as much computational power could bring to a handset. The A9 employs more advanced instruction pipelining than its predecessor, but the biggest news has to be the fact that it can pack two or more cores -- and ARM fully expects dual-core A9-based phones to hit in 2010. Of course, power consumption is the biggest constraint when it comes to this category of device, and while the company says that peak drain will exceed that on today's crop of devices, average consumption will actually drop thanks largely to a move from 65nm to 45nm manufacturing processes. Add in 1080p video promised by TI's next-gen OMAP4 silicon wrapped around an A9 core, and you've basically got a home theater in your pocket that's ready to rock for a few hours on a charge. That and Snoop Dogg, of course.
Gaijin Games ups the ante on WiiWare with Bit.Trip: Core
The sequel to the very fun (yet, very punishing) Bit.Trip: Beat has been revealed in Bit.Trip: Core, GameSpot reports. If you thought it was tough keeping track of rogue pixels assaulting you from one direction, then you're going to have an even tougher time with Core, as the player must now defend against attacking pixels from four different directions. Another big change comes in the controls department. The first game featured motion-based controls, but in Core you're stuck in the middle of the screen, pushing directions on the d-pad to shine a beam of light toward rushing pixels. It's essentially the same type of gameplay, combining rhythm and shmup elements, so if you liked Bit.Trip: Beat, then you'll likely find value in this. The game also adds a progress meter showing you how far you've made it into a stage, as well as a screen clearing ability that will hopefully ease the experience up a bit. Bit.Trip: Core is due for release on WiiWare sometime this summer.
Nielsen: WoW is most played core game by 25-54 females
Here's an interesting bit of info from the Nielsen folks: over 400,000 women are playing World of Warcraft in the US, which means it's the most-played "core" game for that gender. And even more interesting, females 25 years or older make up the largest block of PC game players overall, and they account for 54.6% of all gameplay minutes in December of last year. Girls don't just play WoW -- they're quickly becoming one of it's main demographics.You can read the report in PDF form over here -- the chart above might be the most interesting piece of information, as it shows that though males still make up a huge part of the PC gaming audience, many of them have now moved on to consoles, and women (especially older women, over 25), during the last month of last year, are making up a huge audience for PC games. Later in the report, you can see what kinds of games women are really playing: Solitare, Freecell, Minesweeper, and all of those other little attention grabbers on every PC. But among those widespread casual games is our own World of Warcraft. And while the 25-52 male audience of 675, 713 for that game still remains larger than the female audience in the same demo, the ladies aren't far behind.Neilsen also calculated some base stats for WoW, including the fact that 1.8 million unique people played the game, and the average time of gameplay per week was 744 minutes, just over 12 hours (slightly up from last year's average). Additionally, of those who play World of Warcraft, their second most-played game was Solitaire, followed by Warcraft III. Fascinating stuff. Remember that these are statistics, so they are more general trends than anything else, but it's definitely true World of Warcraft and PC gaming in general is no longer only the domain of the male demographic.
Nintendo talks core, third parties, and DSi
During a recent interview with Gamasutra, Nintendo's Denise Kaigler spoke about a slew of subjects sensitive to the Nintendo loyal. Core gaming, third-party support, and the new DSi were just a few of the subjects Kaigler touched on. In regards to the core, Kaigler says that developing games for that audience is important for "everybody, the industry, certainly for Nintendo, but most of all, for consumers." She points to Zelda: Spirit Tracks as a game for that audience.Moving on to third-party support, we're starting to see more and more third parties recognize Nintendo's platforms. Kaigler says that being able to offer that 150 million user base between the two systems is very enticing to those developers. But, she notes that Nintendo wants to impart its own success on the platform and show these developers how it has achieved success (see: characters with floating, circular hands in everything), which might tie into those poor sales figures for the recent original, mature games MadWorld and House of the Dead: Overkill.Finally, no interview with a Nintendo exec can skip the company's latest handheld, the Nintendo DSi. Some folks (especially commenters on Joystiq) have felt the handheld doesn't improve enough over the DS Lite, especially for the price it's demanding. Kaigler, however, argues that the new handheld has plenty to offer, pointing out the DSi's popularity on Amazon and at GameStop through pre-order figures, as well as the one feature that we think too many people are overlooking: DSiWare.
Wii Warm Up: Is Sega right?
Sega recently made some opinionated claims toward the Wii and the future to the tune of "it's all about the hardcore" and "casual games are dumb." We're paraphrasing a bit, but you get the idea. When stacked side-by-side, the amount of core titles to casual titles isn't very comparable. But does the Wii need more core games in 2009? Is that the best approach for a third party on the Wii? What do you all think?
Apple applies for trademark on the "Grand Central" Snow Leopard feature
When Apple announced Snow Leopard, they also detailed a new developer service that can be used to full take advantage of the dual cores in newer Intel Macs. The Apple website tells us the following about GrandCentral: Grand Central takes full advantage [of the processor cores] by making all of Mac OS X multicore aware and optimizing it for allocating tasks across multiple cores and processors. Grand Central also makes it much easier for developers to create programs that squeeze every last drop of power from multicore systems.MacNN is reporting that Apple applied for a trademark on the name "Grand Central" under USPTO serial number 77626943. The trademark was filed under "009" classification, which is "computer software; computer operating system software." We can only wonder if this trademark filing will cause an uproar from Google, who acquired the Grand Central telephony service.Continue reading to see a screenshot of the trademark filing.[via MacNN]
DS releases for the week of December 8th
Looks like everywhere is skinny on games this week. On the one hand, that's probably good; these release-heavy weeks can be hard on the ol' pocketbook, and this is supposed to be a season of giving, not a season of going out and buying all the games you want. On the other hand, if you're in Europe, you're looking at just one game this week. At least it's Harvest Moon and not Teddy Bears Go Shopping or something.So who's up for C.O.R.E.? Build-a-lot Cate West The Vanishing Files C.O.R.E. Driver's Ed Portable Left Brain Right Brain 2 Slingo Quest Gallery: C.O.R.E.
Nokia N97 carrying over old processor?
You'd think that a phone promising to becoming Nokia's 2009 flagship would want some serious computational power under its shell, but the word on the street is that the N97 is actually going to carry over the same ARM 11 core used by its forebears. That might be a disappointment for anyone hoping that they'll be able to replace a MID, netbook, or eight-core Hollywood CGI workstation with an unsuspecting handset -- but if it's any consolation, other rumors suggest (thankfully, may we add) that the ARM 11 will be clocked higher than the E71, which comes in at 369MHz. For all we know, the processor specs haven't been finalized since they haven't shown up on Nokia's N97 site yet, so maybe we'll end up with 1GHz and seven minutes of battery life. Would be a productive seven minutes, wouldn't it?[Via Slashgear and UMPCPortal]
Nintendo confident core will be satisfied in 2009
Well, we would think, given that there are a bunch of really unique and fun-looking games coming down the pipe next year. MadWorld, Sin & Punishment 2, The Conduit, and Punch-Out!! are just a few of the games that the core are likely excited for. "I think that next year you're going to see the tide turn a little bit, in terms of people realizing that the Wii can have something of interest for everybody," said Cammie Dunaway in a MTV Multiplayer interview. "So, yeah, I think next year is going to be a pretty good year in terms of the breadth of offerings that are going to be out there for a bunch of folks."The full interview with Cammie hasn't been published yet, but we'll let you know when it does. Frankly, we're interested in hearing more from her on these games, because, well, we're as excited for them as you are![Via CVG]
Miyamoto assures the core Nintendo is working on games for them
It's something Nintendo's been criticized of for awhile now, especially since E3: not caring about the core, and chasing down those almighty casual dollars. Well, during an interview with GameDaily, Miyamoto said a lot of the same stuff he's been saying ever since Wii Music has been completed (Nintendo hasn't forgotten about you, there's a lot of games in development, and so on and so forth).Miyamoto commented that 30 years he's been "making games" and for the majority of that time, these have been games "that the loyal Nintendo fans enjoy." He went on to say that those games are "the types of games that my career is based on and we're going to continue to make those types of games. In fact, we have many of those types of games in development right now." Sounds like a plan to us, Shiggy, but it doesn't make the waiting any less painful!
WAR's latest weekly realm population bonuses
Mythic Entertainment announced their latest list of Warhammer Online servers to receive realm population bonuses this week. Not surprisingly, five of the seven (Core) servers listed impart bonuses for playing Order. Mythic stated: "Great rewards await those who take up their charge and help bolster their army's strengths where it's needed the most... these bonuses are temporary boosts to help new players get into the game and strengthen their allies' efforts on servers where their realm struggles to keep up with the growing armies of their enemy. For one week, these chosen servers will bestow divine gifts upon the designated realm to help swell their ranks and give them the power to try and turn the tides of battle. Players who join the vanguard will receive a 20% bonus to renown and experience." The list of servers that give these bonuses is found in-game at the Server Select screen; the currently listed bonuses will expire on October 24th. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
NXE storage solution: Free 512MB memory card or cheap 20GB HDD
Last week, Microsoft informed us that they'd be offering a "storage solution" to Xbox 360 Arcade and Core owners who didn't have 128MBs of storage to install the New Xbox Experience. We now have those storage solution specifics.Microsoft just launched a new Xbox Storage Upgrade website where Arcade and Core owners can request their storage solution. All you have to do is enter your console's serial number and ID, then the system will check to make sure your console isn't an Elite or Pro. Some are reporting that the system knows if you have a HDD connected and will deny your storage upgrade, so be careful. Once your console is verified to be lacking 128MBs of storage, you'll be given a special offer based on which console you own. The storage solution offers are: Xbox 360 Acade owners: Refurbished 20GB HDD + 3 months of Xbox Live for $30. Xbox 360 Core owners: 512MB memory card for free OR refurbished 20GB HDD for $20 [Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
Microsoft's New Xbox Experience storage "solution": Free memory cards, discounted hard drives
Microsoft's New Xbox Experience has been pored over and dated, but now that Major Nelson has revealed it requires "at least" 128MB storage available to work, where does that leave suckers Core and Arcade SKU Xbox 360 owners? Enter the Xbox 360 Memory Upgrade Program, doling out free 512MB MU's or $20 20GB HDDs to Core owners, and a $30 20GB HDD + 3 months of Xbox Live package to Arcade owners looking to upgrade. November 19, Xbox Live becomes a storage-only affair (that goes for Netflix streams too, requiring 8MB of free space), so grab your serial number and console ID from the current Xbox 360 Dashboard and hit the registration website. Impressive customer service gesture to extend functionality for all, or more evidence of a short sighted and flawed dual-SKU launch plan that's cost gamers and developers alike? All we know for sure is we've probably figured out where the profits from those $149 120GB HDDs are going.[Via NeoGAF]
Turncoat! Warren Spector developing for casual audience
"How dare he abandon us?" you may scream into your monitor (and later into your favorite pillow). Warren Spector, developer of core gamer classics such as Thief and Deus Ex, is working for the mainstream audience. In a Forbes article about casual gaming's increasing influence, Spector said, "I don't believe I'm compromising on my gameplay ideals at all. [But] any artist who doesn't want his or her work in front of the largest audience possible is nuts."Spector's "shift" shouldn't come as a surprise. For starters, we know his company, the Disney-owned Junction Point Studios, is currently working on a Pixar collaboration. He also intimated his desire for more mainstream development at the Games Education Summit in June."I'm sure a lot of the hardcore folks are going to be up in arms and I'm really looking forward to getting into that discussion with them," he said, later adding that he feels the hardcore genre is "completely safe" but "less relevant to major publishers" -- Cliff Bleszinki can breathe a sigh of relief. What we're wondering, now more than ever, is what's going on with the untitled fantasy project we haven't heard about since June 2007.[Via MCV]
Impress Watch: Sony contemplating upgraded Cell for PlayStation 4
Sure, it's been only 690 days since the PlayStation 3 officially launched, but it's never too early to for discussion on the next next-gen consoles. According to reputable Impress Watch technology writer Hiroshige Goto (via IGN), Sony is looking into using an upgraded version of the Cell processor for the PlayStation 4. Goto speculates that Sony's upgraded processor would feature between 10 and 20 cores (current Cell uses 8) and boast twice the power. Keeping with the Cell -- as opposed to developing a new chipset -- would not only be cost efficient for the company, but it would also likely prove beneficial to manufacturing costs, software development (it'd be a familiar architecture) and backwards compatibility. Remember: although this is from a reputable source, the news is unconfirmed and, given the PS4 is likely many years away, subject to change even if true.Fun fact: There are approximately 1900 days (over 5 years) between the PS2's March 2000 launch and Sony's E3 2005 unveiling of the PS3.
The Daily Grind: Which WAR server is right for you?
Today marks day one of the headstart for Warhammer Online players, which means we're curious to know what server type everyone is going with and why they've made their choice. While many are sure to simply hit up a core server without any extra rules, there are always players looking for that additional flavor. Many of us here at Massively are heading for core homes ourselves, although there are a few planning to check out a roleplay server. We happen to enjoy the shenanigans that can happen on the RP servers, so long as it's nothing that will cause us to scrub our eyes with baking soda.Strangely enough, we haven't of anyone we know going for an "Open RvR" server. Our guess is that it's because most people will be more than happy to play the RvR that Mythic has already setup for them in the core (and even RP) servers.
Dear Core: Wait 2-3 years (Love, Nintendo)
Nintendo has affixed a timeline to the vague, yet sincere promise that games based on the company's "core" franchises are in development. "We still have developers working on popular core gaming franchises but we need longer to complete these games, approximately two to three years," Nintendo stated in the October issue of Edge, as reported by Eurogamer. "These games are not ready to launch in early 2009 but are being worked on by all development teams." So sit back, twiddle some other thumbsticks, and let those other folk navigate the slopes for a while. Your turn's a comin'.[Via Wii Fanboy; image credit: striatic]
Nintendo pleads patience for 'core' games
By now, we're all familiar with the chain of events that unfolded after E3. Nintendo showed off a bunch of games in its E3 2008 press conference that apparently didn't meet the expectations of the "hardcore" set. Said group immediately accused Nintendo of abandoning them. Nintendo stepped in to say that, no, titles for more serious gamers were currently being made, so keep your hair on.Now, Nintendo has felt compelled to say it again, and warn us that we will have to wait for our treats. "We have developers working on popular core gaming franchises but we need longer to complete [them], approximately two to three years," the company stated in the latest issue of Edge, before adding that none will be ready to launch in early 2009.So it's going to be at least late next year before we see any new Zelda, Mario, and presumably Pikmin also. Express your rage in the comments field below.
Pachter: Nintendo has not abandoned the core audience
Not everyone stumbled away from Nintendo's E3 presser feeling lightheaded and sick to their stomach. Some, like Wedbush Morgan soothsayer Michael Pachter, felt that the presentation was on point, offering an "even more positive view" of the company, while adding belief that Nintendo has not yet turned its back on the 'critically important' hardcore crowd."We think that Nintendo focused upon building upon its formidable lead with the mass market," notes Pachter, "and do not consider the lack of major hard core game announcements to be an abandonment of its core." Granted, this is a man who has the ear of investors and not necessarily gamers, and given that the analyst anticipates Nintendo to report revenue of more than $3.9 billion for 2009's fiscal first quarter, with an estimated $17.7 billion expected for the year, try to at least look surprised when his world views don't align perfectly with your own.
