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INQ's next handset will get further up in your social networks
INQ's first handset, the INQ1, got cozy with your friends on Facebook, letting you check their updates and let them all know what's happening in your 'hood while making Skype calls and checking your e-mail. The company's coming back for more with the ingeniously named INQ2, pledging to add Twitter support into the mix in a move to get more social network-agnostic. No further details are available at this point on what (if any) other services the upcoming handset will interact with, or whether it'll have a somewhat more original name, but you can be sure we'll keep you updated.
Google goes MMO-ish with Lively
Google's takeover of every corner of the Web continues today with a public beta of Lively, an MMO-style social networking browser plug-in. Users create a personalized avatar and gather in custom-designed rooms to walk around, chat and perform scripted animations. It's not a game per se, but users have already started turning their rooms into virtual versions of games like chess and various role-playing scenarios.As the community evolves, you can expect Lively to evolve into a sort of Second Life-style do-anything space, with a wide array of self-styled gaming areas. The question remains: Is Google staking its claim to the future of social gaming, or is it just another Johnny-come-lately in the newest social networking fad?[Via Massively]
I Play WoW on Facebook
A little while back, we checked out a Facebook app to show your WoW characters in your profiles, and just this week, reader Orangelick asked for an update to the other app we linked to, called I Play WoW. Previously, I couldn't get it working, but I gave it another try, and as you can see above, it works just fine. In fact, it's pretty customizable, even moreso than what I implemented above -- you can upload a picture for your character, and even give status and description updates for every character on the roster.If you're looking for some WoW representation on Facebook, it'll do you right. The only real complaint I have is that it doesn't by default show off any armor or stats that you have (the other app, WoW Armory, does, and here's another app that's even flashier if you want to go that way), but then again, how many of your Facebook friends really want to follow your characters that closely? And there's a quick link to the Armory page for those who do. All in all, nice app, and the perfect way to show a little WoW pride on Facebook.
WeeWorld announces 'World'
WeeWorld, the company that gave us the ubiquitous WeeMees, has answered its customers' requests for a virtual world. It's the next logical step for a company that's consistently listened to what its users want.To be entitled 'World' (well, at least it's easy to pronounce) the new virtual world will offer a space for users to walk around in and interact as their avatars. Future content will likely include quest and gaming elements, and an oft-requested shopping feature.
GameStrata statistic site launches, get PWN3D via graphs
GameStrata, a new game statistic tracking and social site, has just launched into a (semi-)public status. Players can use the free service to keep track of a range of quantifiable game performance details. We're not quite sure what to make of the service, since an Xbox Live Gamertag does nearly the same thing on a platform basis, albeit Xbox only. (We see overlap with Steam too, for another heavy competitor.)We'll give the site some hope, however, since it's signed a wide roster of EA, Activision, Capcom, and Sega for launch titles. Those games are Battlefield 2 (PC), Guitar Hero III (Wii, 360, PS3), Lost Planet (360), and Universe at War (PC, 360). The site combines stats from all of those games into a single user profile. It'll also strip Gamertag data into its service.GameStrata aims to bathe geeks in delicious data to keep them away from in-game -- and community-based -- competitors. Co-founder Barry Dorf takes exception to our classification, saying via email, "We do not see the space as having competitors, only partners.There are publishers that track stats and some that do not. We do not believe the publishers that are tracking stats are at the granular level we want them to be, or they want to be. Where do I rank in the first chorus during Sabotage in GH3 on Medium, or how many headshots did I make last week in Battlefield 2, and where did it rank amongst those stats?"Those details run deep, letting gamers graph performance over time -- say, kills with a certain weapon -- and compare it to friends. Players can also broadcast a syndicated news feed to update competitors with their latest achievements.
Everybody Votes, one week later
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Everybody_Votes_one_week_later'; One week has passed since Nintendo sneakily updated the Wii with the Everybody Votes Channel, and the polls are still open on the channel itself. We'd like to say it's been a success, but half the time we go in to try to vote, either massive wait times make us reconsider the idea of voting, or we suffer through just to participate in this democratic process only to be told there's an error. Oh well. We can only hope that it'll get better. After all ... hey, it's free, amirite? And it's not as though it's all been loading times and errors, because we've thrown our hats in on a few questions.But since we've all had a week of opportunity to fiddle, we thought we'd spend some time talking about Nintendo's latest and what may be yet to come for the new channel.
