Q1 2012
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Sumioni: Demon Arts drawn to digital Vita release March 20
Looking for the next lovely thing to gawk at on your Vita's crazy screen? XSEED announced today that the sumi-e inspired action game Sumioni: Demon Arts will be available in North America on March 20. The PSN-exclusive release will sell for $19.99.The gorgeous ink-style vistas, touchscreen platform painting, and summonable "inkgods" will be included at launch, of course, as well multiple endings. Less essential features like leaderboards and extra DLC will be released later.%Gallery-149344%
'The Legend of Dead Kel' is Reckoning's second DLC, arrives on March 20
Interested in buying a fancy virtual house? Beyond a handful of new objectives on an island paradise (Gallow's End), that's exactly what you'll get out of the upcoming downloadable content for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, arriving on March 20 to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.The content claims to add 15% more space to the overall world map in Reckoning as well, and introduces new enemy types, dungeon areas, and loot. More importantly, though, it introduces Gravehal Keep, a fancy new domicile for your fate-less explorer to, presumably, throw garish parties. No pricing was given for the content, but we'd wager a dollar that it'll cost at least $10 when it arrives later this month.Update: EA confirmed the price at 800 MS Points/$9.99 across all platforms.%Gallery-149106%
Killzone 3's multiplayer on PSN as standalone free-to-play game next week
Next week, you'll be able to get into Killzone 3's multiplayer without having to deal with all the cruft of the rest of the game. As revealed on the latest PlayStation Blogcast podcast, a standalone Killzone 3 multiplayer download will be available on PSN.The mode will be a free download this Tuesday -- with a level cap. When you hit the cap, if you want to continue leveling up, you'll be able to pay $14.99 for the "full" multiplayer experience. By then, you'll know whether you want to continue playing, without having to pay a cent for the education.
MotorStorm RC zooms adorably to PS3 and Vita on March 6
Tiny trucks will take their places on PS3 and Vita on March 6, when MotorStorm RC arrives on the North American PSN, letting you experience the best of the series in little toy trucks. You'll be able to download the same game on both platforms, and buying one gives you access to the other.If you're playing on PS3, you'll get "SimulView" same-screen support (for TVs fancy enough to support it), 3D, and split-screen four-player. If you're playing on Vita, you're playing on a Vita! Wow!
HP reports Q1 2012 financials: $30 billion net revenue, $1.5 billion net earnings, big drop in PC sales
HP reported results for its first fiscal quarter of 2012 this afternoon, including $30 billion in net revenue (down seven percent from the previous year), and net earnings of $1.5 billion (down a full 44 percent). Partly contributing to that drop is a slump from its Personal Systems Group, which saw revenue slip 15 percent year-over-year, and total desktop and notebook units decline a rather drastic 19 and 18 percent, respectively. The company's Imaging and Printing Group also saw a seven percent decline in revenue, with the total number of printer units slipping 15 percent. HP's services business managed to eke out a one percent growth with revenue of $8.6 billion, though, while its software business saw the biggest growth in any one area at 30 percent (that includes results from the recently-acquired Autonomy). The company's full rundown can be found in the press release after the break, with additional numbers available at the source link below.Update: On the company's earnings call, CEO Meg Whitman laid some of the blame for PSG's decline on hard drive shortages, but also said that HP has "under-invested in innovation for the last several years" and "been late to market too often," adding that "we have to lead again." A transcript of Whitman's prepared remarks can be found here.
Dillon's Rolling Western rolls onto the 3DS eShop
As part of the Nintendo Direct event, Nintendo has announced the surprise release of Dillon's Rolling Western, a new download for the 3DS eShop (first revealed at Nintendo Direct last year). The game stars the armadillo cowboy -- a cowboy who is also an armadillo, not an armadillo herder -- named Dillon, who defends poor towns in traditional gunslinger style. Except he doesn't use a gun at all, actually, preferring to roll his way to victory. Rolling Western features tower defense gameplay, in which Dillon must collect resources and repel the invasion of evil rock monsters -- monsters who are also rocks, that is, not Osbournes -- the Grocks.About that surprise release: it's today, a full day before the usual Thursday eShop update. You can snag Dillon's Rolling Western for $10. If you're still on the fence, we'll have a Portabliss on it later today.
Game Gear titles head to 3DS on March 14 for ¥300 apiece
March 14 is the big day for Game Gear on Virtual Console, with a trio of titles headed to Japanese 3DS owners, Nintendo announced this morning. Unsurprisingly, Sega leads the lineup with three classics: Sonic (Sonic and Tails 2), Shinobi (GG Shinobi), and Dragon Crystal. The titles will cost ¥300 ($3.75) apiece, and no word was given as to when they'd head Stateside.Of course, Sonic Triple Trouble and Shinobi were rated by the ESRB for 3DS back in February, and we were last told that Game Gear (as well as TurboGrafx-16) games would arrive on the handheld's Virtual Console store in "late May." So, uh, they're coming to North America, just not quite yet. We'll also venture a wild guess that Dragon Crystal will end up in the US as well. Sure, why not?
Orion: Dino Beatdown takes on Steam and OnLive this March
Orion: Dino Beatdown is, according to developer Spiral Game Studios, an "open world, class-based cooperative survival sci-fi FPS." However, despite all those words, we think that description leaves out the interesting bits. Let us rephrase:Orion: Dino Beatdown is a game about guys with jetpacks shooting at freaking dinosaurs.Sound familiar? You might have actually helped fund the development. Last year, Spiral Kickstarted the project under the name Orion: Prelude. Everyone who contributed to that will receive a copy of the game when its March release date hits. Everyone else can pay $9.99.The platforms have changed from the original plan: consoles are out, and OnLive and Steam are in. But what hasn't changed is the idea of five players in open worlds, picking one of three classes (Assault, i.e. jetpack guys, and two other miscellaneous non-jetpack classes) and surviving endless dinosaur assaults.
Journey ventures to PSN on March 13 for $15 [update: March 14 for EU]
Journey's developers at thatgamecompany refuse to dilly dally when it comes to seasonally tied launch windows, announcing this morning that Journey will arrive on March 13 for $15, effectively kicking off the spring season.According to a PlayStation Blog post revealing the launch date and pricing, no bonuses are currently being offered for PS Plus members regarding the title, but, uh, you can also totally play the game on March 13 as well, unless you choose to hold out for a special offer, of course.The release date announcement is just the beginning of a weeks-long trailer campaign leading up to thelaunch, so keep an eye out for more looks into the game in the near future. Should you need a fix right now, we've dropped a trailer above for you. You're so needy!Update: The EU PlayStation Blog says that the game will arrive on March 14 in Europe.
NBA 2K12 GOTY edition available only at Best Buy March 11
You have plenty of options for buying NBA 2K12. You can just buy it right now, or you can buy it in a combo pack with MLB 2K12 in March.Or, you can buy the new Game of the Year Edition on March 11, which packs the Legends Showcase DLC and a poster of "legends" Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. At $49.99, it's the same price as the current game, so ... at least the choice of "just buying the regular version" is functionally eliminated.That is, unless you don't live near a Best Buy -- this version is exclusive to the retailer "for a limited time."
Microsoft Flight is free as a bird on Feb. 29
Microsoft clearly has no care for the silly paramaters we call "seasons," as its launching Microsoft Flight on February 29, bucking the original "spring" launch window. Microsoft Flight's official site will be hosting downloads of the free application starting that Wednesday -- no other distribution channels are named, but we suspect it'll also be up on Games for Windows Live's Marketplace as well.That guess' accuracy is bolstered by the news that the "Hawaiian Adventure Pack" wil be made available as well on the 29th, coming in at $19.99. The pack is said to include the "remaining Hawaiian Islands, a new plane, and 20 new missions," should you have already exhausted your enjoyment of the other content, perhaps during the simulation's beta period. More details on the DLC can be found just after the break, including two additional planes, priced at $7.99 and $14.99 (for regular and "deluxe" models, respectively).At this point, we were gonna make a flippant joke about Flight being little more than flying simulation, but then we thought about that Louis CK bit and started feeling all guilty. So, here we are. Either way, how about those DLC prices, eh? Madness!%Gallery-146616%
Qualcomm announces Q1 earnings: revenues up 40%, $1.4 billion in profit
The mobile revolution has been good to Qualcomm. Its Q4 2011 earnings were impressive enough, but the company is kicking off 2012 with even more staggering numbers. The Snapdragon creator pulled in $4.68 billion in revenue during Q1, a 40 percent increase over the same time last year and 14 percent higher than last quarter. Profits were also way up, hitting $1.4 billion, a 20 percent increase over last year and a whopping 33 percent higher sequentially. The company appears to have roundly beat analyst expectations, earning 97 cents per share. It's also worth noting that this doesn't include any boost from the spectrum deal with AT&T. Sales of its MSM chips were, of course, the big star here shipping 156 million units -- an impressive 23 percent more than last quarter. For all the financial finery check out the source link.
PixelJunk Eden leaps to Steam with Encore included
The prominent PlayStation PixelJunk franchise went to Facebook with PixelJunk Monsters Online, and now the series' acrobatic trip-tastic platformer, PixelJunk Eden, is coming to Steam.Available next week, on February 2, the main game will include the "Encore" DLC expansion, and the full chemically augmented soundtrack by Baiyon will be sold separately [Ed. note: Finally!]. The regular price will be $10 for the game and $6 for the (17 song) soundtrack, but both items will be discounted 20 percent for a limited time after launch."Lots of stuff is new – the main cool feature is that your Grimp (the little character you control) now has the ability to warp back to his last resting position!" Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert said of added features in the Steam version. "It uses a little bit of your energy but if you're careful you no longer have to worry about missing an important jump – fall too far, just hit space and warp back.""Also, rather than having to collect all the Spectra (these are the objects that let you grow your main garden) repeatedly we now save your progress in each garden, so you can just start from the last Spectra you grabbed when you go back in."Hurray for Eden taking away its buzzkill elements! It's all about the flow, man.%Gallery-145799%
Terraria goes retail in EU with 'Collector's Edition' on March 16
Despite selling over 1 million copies of Terraria across Terra Firma, Merge Games believes the title has yet to reach a key demographic: PC game buyers without internet connections. Okay, okay, it's also possible that the Merge Games-published "Collector's Edition" of the Re-Logic-developed 2D indie hit is popular enough to warrant a version made especially for superfans, but we much prefer the concept of a board meeting to discuss a gradually disappearing group of people.Anyway, the collector's edition of Terraria will run EU residents £19.95 (€23.80/$31.30) when it arrives at retailers on March 16, and will come packed with "an exclusive in-game item, a poster, a key ring, and trading cards." That's about $20 more than the digital copy costs you on Steam right this minute -- but does that contain the adorable little pickaxe keychain (seen after the break)? Yeah, we didn't think so.It's unclear if the collector's version of Terraria will arrive in North America or Asia, but we've asked Merge Games for clarification.
Rayman Origins coming to PC March 29, retail versions DRM free
With the announcement of release dates for 3DS and Vita, there are vanishingly few platforms left that won't have Rayman Origins. Now the PC joins the platforming party, with a release in both Europe and the United States on March 29. The PC version retains the 4-player co-op functionality of the console versions, and also retains its local-only restriction.Surprisingly, the retail release will have no DRM. The download version, for "all e-shops including Steam," will use "only an activation key." Pre-orders of the digital Origins from the Ubishop will also include a free copy of Rayman 2.[Thanks, Mitchell.]
PlayMemories PS3 editing suite coming to EU in March for €10
Sony's betting that your memories are worth at least €10 (~$13) with its upcoming PlayMemories video editing application for the PlayStation 3. That's the price that a Sony rep told Electric Pig during a London Sony event earlier today. The rep also pinned a launch date to the window of time between now and the "end of Q1" (fancy talk for "the end of March").The PlayMemories Studio is one of the few that costs money to download, making the pricing all the more surprising -- of course, there are services like Netflix and Qriocity that charge monthly, but those applications are themselves free. We've yet to receive word of price or availability in the US, but we've reached out to SCEA for more information.
Apple Q1 2012 results liveblog
Today, TUAW liveblogs Apple's first quarter conference call. If you'd like to listen live, point your browser to Apple's dedicated page. I'll be doing live updates as they're discussed, including coverage of the Q&A followup. The liveblog appears in reverse chronological order, with newer updates higher on the page. This post will not auto-update, so keep refreshing your browser. Also note that I do not usually cover the Financials. Our usual suspects are all on planes on their way out to Macworld/iWorld today. So please bear with me, as Apple spokespersons have a tendency to talk very, very fast on these calls.
Apple announces Q1 2012 earnings, sells a record-breaking 37 million iPhones
Apple released its earnings statement and announced yet another banner quarter. Apple knocked it out of the park, with record quarterly revenue of US$46.33 billion compared to $27.64 billion in the year-ago quarter. As predicted, iPhone sales were through the roof with 37.04 million units sold. This is up from the 17.07 million the company sold last quarter and up 128 percent from the 16.24 million it sold this quarter in 2010. iPad sales were also up to another record-breaking level. The company sold 15.43 million iPads units, which is up from the 11.12 million iPads the company sold in Q4 2011. It's also an 111 percent increase from the year-ago quarter when it sold 7.33 million units. Mac sales remained strong. Apple sold 5.2 million Macs, which is up slightly from the 4.89 million it sold during the previous quarter. iPod sales continue their downward decline from 19.45 million in Q1 2011 to 15.4 million iPods this quarter, a 21 percent year over year decline. Apple will livestream its conference call later today, and we'll be liveblogging it as it happens.
Inversion delayed until 'early 2012'
Gunning gravity-shifter Inversion has shifted its official release window to "early 2012." Publisher Namco Bandai informed us of the change after we asked it about retailers changing the launch date to March 27."The launch of Inversion has been moved to early 2012, and more details will follow in an upcoming announcement," a Namco Bandai spokesperson told Joystiq. "This additional development time will allow the team to polish several key aspects of the game ensuring Inversion is of the highest quality."For those who had their hearts set on a game for Inversion's original release date of February 7, there's always the "enemy-pounding funfest" of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.%Gallery-130923%
Doctor Who breaks The Silence, dances with Daleks in March 2012
The Doctor's two dimensional adventures on the PC, PlayStation 3 and Vita aren't quite as lost in time as the doctor himself, as Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock has been given a "March 2012" launch window. Perhaps you were worried that Supermassive Games (note: not Bastion dev Supergiant Games) wouldn't include series staples like Silurians, Daleks, and whatever "The Silence" is? Well ... uh ... quit worrying about that, because they're all totally in there.Also in there? Classic 2D gameplay! And, well, did we mention that those characters from the long-running TV series are in the game? Because they are, in case you didn't realize that.%Gallery-145439%
