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Japanese research group developing next-next-gen optical Internet
Word that Brett Favre broke the NFL's touchdown pass record shot around the world pretty fast today, but if Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology has anything to do with it, you'll be hearing about such things even faster in 2015, when the group and several private companies intend to launch a next-generation optical network with peak data-transfer speeds of 10 gigabits. Although similar projects are underway in both the US and Europe, the Japanese effort has some heavy-hitters behind it, including NTT, Fujitsu, KDDI, Hitachi, Toshiba, and NEC. The system, which will cost a projected $260M over the next five years, will be able to support 100 billion devices but still maintain those gaudy transfer rates, even for mobile users. No word on when the tech will hit the States, sadly, but here's hoping.
Sierra talks risk and new IPs
Sierra says it's ramping up new IPs and isn't afraid of the risk. They'll be developing new games in the RTS, open world (sandbox), FPS and kids genres. Speaking with GI.biz, Sierra's Pres. Martin Temblay says they're going to compete with the big guys -- we assume he means EA and Ubisoft -- and going after the console world. He says, "We will surprise a lot of people because our commitment to quality is absolutely there, and we're taking a real step forward in terms of the balance of licensed titles, original IP and strong sequels."It's an interesting time for Sierra to step up their PR efforts and show off a little -- which was apparently a mandate from parent company Vivendi. Despite having some solid titles in recent years (with no insane breakouts mind you), we can't help but hear Sierra and still instantly think about the adventure genre glory days with Roberta Williams and Al Lowe (we miss them both). If Sierra really wants to change, they might want to start with their name. Or else we're going to keep expecting the return of King's Quest or the real Leisure Suit Larry.
Sony and 3M settle intellectual property dispute
The bickering that boiled over into a patent dispute earlier this year between 3M and Sony has finally ceased, but it seems like Lenovo and friends may actually still be fighting their own battles with the innovative giant. Nevertheless, Sony Corporation and Sony Electronics are now "licensed sources of batteries containing 3M's cathode technology," and while specific terms of the settlement shall remain confidential, we're sure it was no small sum that Sony was asked required to pay out. One down, several to go.
Lonestar sues Nintendo over Wii capacitor design
A Texas-based company called Lonestar Inventions has sued Nintendo, claiming that the company copied one of Lonestar's patented capacitor designs and used it in the Wii. As is usual with intellectual property related lawsuits, there's a fair degree of shady business surrounding the lawsuit. For one, Lonestar didn't contact Nintendo before filing, and hasn't told the company precisely which capacitor breaches the patent holder's rights. For two, Lonestar has apparently sued other companies -- including Kodak and Freescale -- in recent times, in a similar style. It's probably not a coincidence that Lonestar's offices are located in an Austin law firm, either. Yet more evidence that the patenting system is well and truly messed up.[Via Wall Street Journal (Paid Subscription Required)]
Tzero's WiMedia-based ZeroWire uses UWB for HD streaming
While Tzero has been at the forefront of ultra wideband technology for some time, the firm is upping the stakes even higher with its WiMedia-based TZC7200 ZeroWire chipset. The UWB semiconductor solution was designed to deliver "real-time high-definition video" either wirelessly or over cabling, and can even open new doors for "distributing entertainment content throughout the entire home using existing coax." Reportedly, this device can pipe multiple streams of HD video through your average cable network at the tune of 480Mbps, and it boasts application integration including IP, UDP, TCP/IP, multicast, and unicast. Notably, ZeroWire is "comprised of both a Radio Frequency IC (RFIC) as well as a baseband and media access control system-on-chip," and while the chipset is listed is being available immediately, you'll need to contact Tzero yourself to fetch the pricing details.
Publishing exec 'steals' Google laptops in silly demonstration
We can't say that we'd recommend a CEO steal property from Google in order to prove a point, but the head honcho of Macmillan Publishers pushed his superego aside and did just that at a recent BookExpo America in NYC. It's no secret that a number of publishers have been up in arms about Google's approach to digitizing their works, but Richard Charkin went so far as to recruit a colleague and swipe a pair of laptops from a Google Books kiosk at the event. About an hour later, the booth attendants actually noticed the missing goods and presumably began to panic, and the haughty executive then had the nerve to return the machines to their rightful owners whilst dropping the "hope you enjoyed a taste of your own medicine" line. He justified the bizarre behavior by suggesting that "there wasn't a sign by the computers informing him not to steal them," apparently referencing Google's controversial tactics when scanning books. That'll show 'em, Mr. Charkin.[Via TechDirt]
Hitachi and Oracle introduce anti-piracy tags in China
Considering the sensational amount of knockoff gadgetry and counterfeit software that manages to emerge in China, it's only surprising that it has taken this long for a company (or two) to unveil a legitimate solution to at least curb the amount of black market goods that leave the country. Reportedly, Oracle will be teaming up with Hitachi to "jointly market wireless IC tags in China that can be used to identify whether products are real or not," meaning that tagged goods can now be easily identified as authentic when placed over a reader. The tags will be made and distributed by Hitachi and the duo of firms will promote the usage of said anti-piracy measures with the Tokyo-based Ubiquitous ID Center which issues and manages IC tags. Initially, the tags will purportedly be used with tickets for the upcoming Beijing Olympics and Expo 2010 in Shanghai, but there was no word on any planned rollouts or potential takers outside of these two events. Still, for Japanese wares makers that operate in China, ¥10 ($0.08) a pop for these piracy-thwarting tags sounds like an awfully fair deal. [Warning: Read link requires subscription][Via Yahoo]
Microsoft briefy ignores beef with Linux, signs IP deal with Xandros
It seems the love / hate relationship between Microsoft and all things open source is swinging back to the mushy side of the equation, and while this isn't exactly the retaliation we were expecting after getting blasted by Linus Torvalds, it's intriguing nonetheless. In an agreement that eerily resembles that drawn up with Novell, Microsoft has reportedly "announced a broad collaboration agreement based on a set of technical, business, marketing, and intellectual property commitments" with Linux platform provider Xandros. The deal seeks to provide customers working in mixed operating system environments with "enhanced interoperability, more effective systems management solutions, and intellectual property assurances," and the four major focal points include systems management interoperability, server interoperability, office document compatibility, and intellectual property assurance. Interestingly, that also means that Redmond won't be suing Xandros for so-called patent infringement anytime soon, and the partnership even suggests that Microsoft will be "endorsing Xandros Server and Desktop as a preferred Linux distribution." So while we may never know Microsoft's true feelings towards the passionate open source community, there should be a whole lotta love spread to Xandros customers over the next five years.[Via InformationWeek]
Id has new IP, keep wishing for that Cmdr. Keen remake
Id Software is working on a new game ... and it's not Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein or even Commander Keen related -- it's new. According to Id's CEO Todd Hollenshead the company is finishing off Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and moving onto this new game with a new engine developed by John Carmack. Hollenshead told GI.biz, "It is a new Id brand with an all-new John Carmack engine and I think that when we show it to people, once again they'll see, just like they saw when we first showed Doom 3, that John Carmack still has a lot of magic left." Hollenshead said they aren't ready to talk or show anything of the new concept. He says they like to play show and tell when they announce a game and they're just not ready to get in front of the class just yet. Hopefully we'll get something before or right around when Enemy Territory ships for PC, and then for PS3 and Xbox 360, later this year.
Target Technology sues Sony for Blu-ray-related patent infringement
As if Sony's legal team hasn't dealt with enough this year already, they're getting dialed up yet again for alleged patent infringement, and this time the California-based Target Technology Company is the one pointing the finger. Apparently, the firm is suing several segments of Sony for "deliberately and willfully" infringing on a patent that Target was granted in 2006. The plaintiff claims that products "marketed under the Blu-ray name infringed on a patent for reflective layer materials in optical discs," and more explicitly, "specific types of silver-based alloys with the advantages (but not the price) of gold." The suit was actually filed as an "intellectual property" matter rather than one of chemical imbalances, and while Target Technology is purportedly seeking a "permanent injunction preventing Sony from violating its patent rights in the future, as well as damages with interest," we won't be surprised if a sizable check from Sony's wallet makes this all disappear.[Via GameSpot, thanks Evan]
Wii Warm Up: Piracy
And not the cool kind, folks. The Wii has not been on the market for over half a year, and like any other shining beacon of all that is right in this world, it has been corrupted by peg-legged drunkards. Or software pirates in the Philippines, or something, whatever.Some of you have already chimed in on your thoughts regarding game piracy, but how do you feel toward the practice in general? TV shows, movies, games, music, and outrageously expensive software have all become essentially free, thanks to various file sharing methods across the web. Do you do it? Do you look down on others who do? How can you justify such things? We'll be honest, we pirate occasionally ... usually stuff we'd be unable to obtain via normal means, like anime (Death Note!). But never games. Pinky swear.And don't worry ... we won't give the MPAA your IP addresses.
Qualcomm: we're flush with 4G patents
It looks like any hopes that the 4G intellectual property landscape would be a little less of a Qualcomm-controlled minefield are fading fast. Thanks in part to recent acquisitions, a senior vice president pointed out in a recent interview with IDG that the company now owns over 1,000 patents pertaining to OFDM, OFDMA, and MIMO -- technologies which'll prove crucial to 4G data, regardless of the standard(s) that ultimately win out. In other words, whether the networks of tomorrow are banging LTE, UMB, or some flavor of WiMax, Qualcomm's confident that it's in a position to cash in, just as it's doing now. Sorry, Nokia.[Via mocoNews]
DigiPen students penning deal with the IP devil?
Here's a little tale of warning for all future attendees of "schools" like DigiPen: Read the fine print! As Kim Pallister, business developer for Microsoft Casual Games, was "shocked" to discover, the students who created Toblo don't actually own the rights to their intellectual property. Toblo, the 2007 Independent Games Festival Best Student Game winner, is actually the property of the DigiPen school business and games development apprenticeship institute. Well, ain't that just a kick in the junk?Steve Chiavelli, one of the creators of Toblo said in a post, "We knowingly (naively?) signed away the rights to everything we would make when entering DigiPen. Personally, it seemed like a good trade-off. I would be attending what I had researched to be arguably the best place for learning how to be a game programmer."We wonder if the other "school," Full Sail, has the same policy? Poor students, in the words of Ursula from The Little Mermaid, "You've got your looks, your pretty face and don't forget the importance of body language." 'Cause your brain, your brain belongs to DigiPen.[Via GameSetWatch]
Capcom to buy/sell IP, publish games with global approach
As part of a long presentation to captive game writers, Capcom discussed its business plans for the future. We'd normally drift off to sweet dreams about Harvey Birdman, but head of research and development, Keiji Inafune woke our gaming hearts by contrasting Capcom with the current, big-on-budget, low-on-creativity sequel state of gaming. He said his vision for "Capcom in the future" is a company that's "not afraid to take risks."Inafune and other executives explained how the company can sustain itself without falling into a sequel pattern through new-to-Capcom, licensed IP; using its own IP in other ways; and selling games to a global, multi-platform market.
CeBIT showcases looming trend: TV through the AC outlet
Piping internet, audio, and other bits of entertainment through one's power sockets has been available for some time now, but due to its less-than-impressive results in a majority of scenarios, it never really blossomed as a reliable networking option. Don't tell the folks at CeBIT this, however, as firms such as Devolo and Channel Vision are showcasing yet another shot at taking advantage of cabling already wired throughout your domicile. As expected, the technology converts the signals emitted from your set-top-box into an IP signal, which can then be streamed to other rooms or even other gizmos such as portable video players. Interestingly, there was no mention of HD abilities, and the Devolo system can currently only deliver the same digital channel being viewed to other areas, but the company is reportedly working on a future iteration to beam separate shows to different sources. Both pricing and availability details ran par for the course, as none of the kiosks displayed any information of the sort, but judging by the sheer interest shown here, it (hopefully) can't be too far off.[Via Wired]Read - Devolo demonstrationRead - Channel Vision demonstration
Today's retroest game video: NES Batman
Today's video pick, an overview of the NES classic, Batman, is the top-watched segment at GameTrailers. The game follows parts of the Tim Burton movie, and we agree with GameTrailers that it's among the best movie-IP games of all time. The batarang rocks.Top off your nostalgia-meter -- and hope for a Virtual Console release -- after the break.
Capcom, Clover, and a little Wii name-dropping
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Capcom_and_ex_Clover_devs_hard_at_work_on_mysterious_new_Wii_title'; If someone mentions an amorphous new Wii game in space, we're gonna hear about it, so when Capcom marketing VP Charles Bellfield name-dropped our favorite console in an interview with Kyle Orland over at Gamasutra, our ears perked up. But Bellfield was coy about unleashing any of the juicy details. "I would love to give you my product lineup for the next five years, but ... *laughs* ... we are developing a new title for the Wii platform. We will be making announcements in the coming months as to what these different titles are." Those former Clover employees who are not busily planting Seeds will be hard at work on this title, as well as others. A new title indicates that it's probably not the Wii Okami you've been hoping for. In fact, Bellfield was quick to push the fact that Capcom is all about churning out original IPs. With the diversity of Capcom's stable of awesome, we can't possibly speculate on what they may have in store for us, but we'll be spending these "coming months" idly dreaming of zombie wolf attorneys.
Arthur game team shared offices with movie group
Yahoo! Games interviews Luc Besson about upcoming movie and game, Arthur and the Invisibles. We're used to most movie IP games being shovelware from a third-party developer, tossed at parents who think the family will like the a game as much as the movie. ("It says Happy Feet right on it. It must be good!")Instead, Besson describes how his animation team shared office space with the videogame team; the two groups worked on their own projects at the same time. While Besson downplays any close collaboration, saying he ran into the game designers mostly at lunch, we still like the idea of the movie- and game-teams working in proximity. Some ideas must have traveled between the groups.
Sony makes Xbox 360 Ghostbusters game disappear
That didn't take long. Zootfly has confirmed that Sony Pictures has had all references to Zootfly's Ghostbusters game removed from the Slovenian developer's website. The prototype game was being developed for Xbox 360. In addition, the video of the work-in-progress has been pulled from YouTube.Columbia Pictures, which owns the Ghostbusters IP, was acquired by Sony in 1989. Zootfly is supposedly in negotiations with Sony for the rights to use the license. Interestingly, the studio has a very similar game in simultaneous development, TimeO. Perhaps this Ghostbusters fiasco -- dead in the water from the get-go -- is being used to draw attention to Zootfly's new IP, which may have had trouble generating press otherwise. Now that's hustlin'!
In-game ads put devs in control
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, IGA Europe vice president Ed Bartlett explained how in-game advertisements could benefit the interests of PC-based independent developers. Barlett pointed to Nadeo, which was able to release TrackMania Nations as freeware through the use of in-game ads, in turn boosting its player base (recording over 6 million downloads) and increasing ad revenue. This business model is unique because it eliminates the need for a publisher and means developers can retain the rights to their IPs.Ironically, it's the indie developers that have been most resistant to in-game ads; whereas triple-A title publishers, while unable to offset theirs games' costs with ads, have been much more receptive to the practice.
