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UK gamers banned from WiiConnect24 use?
While a story that didn't make much of a splash when it belly-flopped onto the internets, we are compelled to offer up our opinions on the latest conflict with the UK and the Wii. Basically, since the WiiConnect24 function of the Nintendo Wii would need the system to be on, in standby mode, 24/7, a new law where the British Government is pushing to have standby features taken out of electronic equipment during production could mean that the service would be altered, or even unavailable, for all UK consoles. The cause certainly is excellent. We here at The Fanboy are behind the good fight against the waste of resources. Our offices don't even have air conditioning, and all of our equipment is hooked up to an exercise bike that must be ridden all day, every day. We do our part, world, so we understand. Surely though, they wouldn't entirely cut the feature on UK consoles, instead just adjusting it so that UK residents could only download while the system is on. Would they even do that?[Via Codename Revolution]
UK set to de-criminalize FM transmitters
Even though most FM transmitters barely have enough signal strength to reach the head unit of your car, a post-World War II-era English law that's still on the books has made these devices illegal for Brits to own and operate, as they could possibly interfere with other, legal broadcasts in some sort of Bizarro world. Well now it looks like the UK's Office of Communications, or Ofcom, has finally wised up and is poised to give the transmitters an exemption from 1949's Wireless Telegraphy Act (geez, even its name is antiquated), which currently threatens scofflaw music lovers with up to two years in prison. Ofcom is holding a "public consultation" on the matter until September, so if you're British and sick of being unable to share your Spice Girls and Gnarls Barkley tracks with pedestrians and other motorists, speak up and let your voice be heard.
Genus' SLM radio does DAB and MP3
UK DAB enthusiasts now have yet another way to listen to those sweet digital broadcasts on-the-go thanks to a new portable radio from Genus; and as if that alone weren't exciting enough, the so-called SLM also includes an FM tuner and SD slot for rocking out to MP3s. Actually, there's really nothing here that we haven't seen before from manufacturers like Pure Digital and MPeye, but it can never hurt to have another product on the market driving down prices, right? One feature you're not getting with this unit -- besides the inability to record OTA programming -- is DRM support, so if you want to load up your PlaysForSure- or FairPlay-protected tracks, you'll need to strip out the copy protection with one of those handy pieces of software first (not that we'd ever encourage that sort of behavior, of course). It looks like you can pick up the OLED-equipped SLM right away from either Curry's or directly through Genus, and at $182, it's pretty reasonably priced -- though you'll have to shell out more loot if you're in need of a blank SD card for storing tunes.[Via Shiny Shiny]
UK loves the Wii
Without much fanfare, Nintendo has been setting up Wii demo stations in foreign countries and inviting members of the local press and citizenry to attend. First was the event in Spain, and recently, a similar happening in the United Kingdom.Luckily, many of us are far better at speaking English than Spanish (pero puedo comprender fácilmente), so these reports are slightly more interesting. While there isn't much in terms of new information, just about everyone has been overwhelmingly positive about our little underdog. Check out the following reports. Entertainment Wise loves the Wii Cubed3 also loves the Wii Game...yeah, they love the Wii too For our Wii-loving brethren across the salty sea, God save the queen.
easyMobile pulling out of Netherlands
Obviously the Netherlands is not a country you want to fire up a cell phone service in and try a "let's please everyone" approach; with over 40 virtual operators (including mobile giant Orange) battling for business, it's a tough nut to crack. easyMobile found out the hard way; launched just last year, the company consistently missed sales targets and simply couldn't attract customers away from other providers. Maybe it was because the easyGroup was too busy focusing on their empire of other startups, or maybe easyMobile just tried to be something they weren't by mimicking Orange. Either way, a notice on their official website has informed current subscribers that service will be halted on August 1, 2006 and for them to be seeking another carrier. While they're still striving in Germany and the UK, there's no doubt the markets are saturated, and we're fairly certain this won't be the last MVNO shuttering in 2006.[Via The Register]
30% failure rate for BSkyB set-top HDTV boxes?
We've got some experience with glitchy HDTV/DVR set top boxes, but it looks like things are even worse over on the other side of the pond. With almost all their HD customers only recently buying sets for the world cup, many are using the digital connections and experiencing a lot of problems like picture and sound dropouts. Specifically cited is the implementation of HDCP, as many have been able to get around the problems by switching to analog connectors.Of course this doesn't do much for customers expecting a sharper picture out of their digital hookup or maybe have spent a lot of money on a digital cable they can't use, but SkyHD and even some TV manufacturers may have to update their software for this to be fixed.Glitch ridden high-def rollouts are becoming all too common, particularly for the "lucky" few who were able to get their service installed prior to the World Cup, but this may explain why some service providers are so unwilling to even enable the HDMI or DVI outputs on their boxes. If it doesn't work, there is a resulting shifting of blame between the provider and TV manufacturer while the customer's problem continues. Same problem with rolling out CableCard, neither side wants to take responsibility for making it work if there's a problem.
Grundig hits the market with Freeview recorders
After taking a bit of a respite from the market, price-slashing TV maker Grundig is getting back into the swing of things in the UK, and is out to provide a bit of Freeview DVB-T recording on the cheap. Even as Sky+ HDTV makes its way slowly across the UK, DVB-T is still a decent digital TV alternative for those without access, with 30 digital channels and 20 digital radio stations. Grundig's GUDVDR0IV lets you schedule up to a week of recordings in advance, and burns onto DVD+R/RW discs for easy archivin'. If stowing the shows isn't your thing, Grundig is also offering a HDD version with 160GB of recording space, the GUDVDRHDD160V. There's actually no word on price yet, but it's a pretty a safe bet that Grundig will be aiming to undercut the current Panasonic and Sony offerings on the market. Both players should be out next month.
ASA rules UK PSP ads inoffensive
Remember that UK ad campaign that caused all that controversy? Well, it turns out the ASA deemed the ads inoffensive, the brainchild of TBWA London. Turns out the 45 complaints weren't enough to cause any retribution against the tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign. The phrases, which include the pictured "Your girlfriend's white bits here" and "Take a running leap," caused a bit of controversy, especially with the latter being located near subway rails. Sony voluntarily took down the subway rails poster, which is likely to remain viewless, but can have a field day with the rest now. How do you fine readers feel about this verdict?[Via Joystiq]
Activision CEO plays down potential of online distribution [update 1]
Bobby Kotick, the chief executive officer of Activision, stated that he believes digital distribution of full games is "so far in the future that it's almost incomprehensible as an opportunity" in the New York Times article we reported on the other day. He cites the current limits of consumer internet bandwidth and the size of hard drives as the primary concern. However, Mr. Kotick believes that there is a great opportunity for purchasing and downloading smaller add-on content like "characters, new weapons, new missions or auctioning off places".We mainly agree with Mr. Kotick's thoughts regarding the adoption of mainstream digital distribution being a while off. Even though broadband adoption and availability numbers (soon, 99.6% of the UK will have access to 4-8Mbps DSL) are increasing, figures from December 2005 suggest that only 15-20% of Japanese, American and British people actually own a high speed internet line. Those numbers need to be closer to the level that television enjoys if mainstream on-demand digital distribution is to work.However, the market for smaller games and episodes of larger commercial games which can be distributed entirely over the internet is on the verge of exploding; Half-Life: Episodes and Geometry Wars being the early signs. Writing off the internet as a medium for distributing games would be a bad move for many publishers, after all, the early bird gets the loyal customer! Services like Steam, GameTap and Xbox Live Arcade are already beginning to capture the mindshare of savvy gamers (i.e. gamers that are too lazy to walk to the store, lol, jk!), so if publishers want to maintain control of what they do best (publishing games), then surely they should be doing everything they can to get in first before the bogeyman middleman does.[Image credit: Gamasutra]Update: clarified statement regarding adoption of broadband by consumers.
Voda first to UK market with HSDPA
Brits feeling left behind in the HSDPA game are about to get their day in the spotlight. Vodafone is prepping its UMTS follow-on for a Thursday launch, offering their Mobile Connect HSDPA data card for laptop users seeking a little extra WWAN oomph. Availability is initially limited to London, Glasgow, Sheffield, Greater Manchester and Tyneside with a nationwide rollout scheduled for summer 2007, but if neither the limited coverage nor the £45 monthly price tag for unlimited data scare you, get ready to whip out £49 for your card come tomorrow.[Via The Register]
The black DS Lite, in the flesh
An employee of an (unnamed) UK games store, who would prefer to be known only as Spudstercool, sent us a reel of photos of a black DS Lite which he managed to sneak out of the store a full four days before the official launch in Europe on Friday. We know you're eager for a peek at the style of Nintendo's most exclusive handheld, so check out the pictures after the jump.
Apple Store UK lowering prices?
We're receiving tips that the Apple Store UK has begun quietly dropping prices on a few of Apple's products. Specifically, both versions of the iPod nano are reportedly down £10 each, while the 1.66 Ghz Mac mini has been lowered £70. The iMac is also alleged to have received a price drop, though reports don't have prices for comparison. Again, I personally can't confirm these reports, as I live in the US and typically shop in that store, so take this with a grain of salt and try to keep speculation within bounds. [thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Sell your soul to pre-order a British PS3
U.K. online retailer Play.com has made the PS3 available for pre-order in a bundle with three games, pushing the price up to £549.99 which, for a game console, is very near the "I'd have to sell my soul to get one" boundary. The real cheek is that the company doesn't guarantee that they'll be able to ship the console to you before Christmas "due to an expected European shortage of the PS3." On top of that, the three game bundle of Formula One '06, Warhawk and Singstar "may be changed, subject to availability." We realize that these kind of bundles and disclaimers are the norm with console pre-orders, but if you convert this figure to dollars ($1,019.73) and compare it to similar deals for the Xbox 360 that we previously considered outrageous ($1,200 got you an Xbox 360 with 11 games and several accessories not too long ago), you get a good perspective on the difficult situation that Sony has put itself into by setting such a high sticker price. If the first pre-order bundle in the UK comes in at over half a grand, what can we expect from retailers in the weeks before the launch? I really don't want to be forced to sell my little sister's soul too.[Via T3]
Darwinia and Uplink coming to the PS3?
If you've played either Uplink or Darwinia, then you're familiar with, and more than likely love, UK-based developer Introversion. It seems the indie studio has been in talks recently with both Microsoft and Sony to bring its content to each respective company's online arena. "I'm afraid I can't really give you any concrete details at the moment - suffice it is to say that we are currently discussing a number of deal negotiations with Sony and Microsoft," said Introversion's Vicky Arundel while talking with UK-based games site Eurogamer. Given that the company has experience with digital distribution, having released their beloved game Darwinia via Valve's Steam service, the company is a natural fit for each company's service. The question is, will Microsoft try and throw money at the guys to gain exclusivity for their games on the Xbox Live service?
Chinese workers reportedly toil in "iPod City"
In much the same way that we'd rather not think about how the Big Macs we eat were produced, we also often ignore the manner in which our favorite gadgets are manufactured, because it's not as fun listening to tunes when you consider that the person who put together your DAP could be living like an indentured servant. And according to a recent report by the UK's Daily Mail entitled "iPod City," indentured servitude might not be a bad description of the working conditions inside the city-size Chinese factories that assemble the iPod nano and Shuffle, where the employees reportedly make about $50-a-month and live in crowded dormitories as thanks for working 15-hour days. It should be noted that even though the Mail story is supposedly based on first-hand reporting, their claim of 200,000 workers at one plant has been called into question, and at least one other factory owned by the same manufacturer has been certified by the International Labor Organization as free of human rights violations. While Apple certainly isn't the only device maker to outsource labor overseas, Wired points out that the company's tacit support of possibly-questionable working conditions is all the more ironic in the wake of its Think Different campaign, which featured the socially-conscious Gandhi and Caesar Chavez, among others. Unfortunately, our own lust for the latest and greatest products only helps fuel the vicious cycle that forces companies to drive down wages and seek the cheapest possible labor, so until we find a way to break our gadget addiction, we'll all be complicit in these practices to some degree.Read- MacWorld summary of Daily Mail story [Thanks, Marc P.]Read- Wired analysis [Via Slashdot]
HD DVD has a Christmas date with Europe
And apparently, they have a plan. That idea is a bit dubious given the haphazard nature of the HD DVD US and Japan launch so far, but according to an executive from Toshiba UK, it is all under control. For the first six months they will concentrate on the typical early adopter crowd, after which they feel there will be enough available content to advertise towards mass market consumers, that HD DVD is the best way to watch the latest movies. This strategy may explain some of the questions we've had concerning their US launch, the scarcity of TV ads and the slow pace of content availability. Blu-ray is apparently launching in Europe this fall, it will be interesting to see who has titles on shelves first in that market.
UK sales charts, June 4-10: World Cup fever
Football fanaticism? It must be that time of year. Yes, FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 is back on top -- undoubtedly influenced by the big kick-off. New titles Brain Training, Moto GP 06 and Sensible Soccer 2006 debut in the top ten -- and people are still buying Tomb Raider. 1. FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 2. Hitman: Blood Money 3. Tomb Raider: Legend 4. Moto GP 06 5. Pro Evolution Soccer 5 6. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training 7. Sensible Soccer 2006 8. Half-Life 2: Episode One 9. Animal Crossing: Wild World 10. X-Men: The Official Game
UK sales charts, May 28-June 3: Double top for Hitman
This week's UK charts look suspiciously similar to last week's, despite the impending World Cup. Since we English can't walk down a street without seeing at least five St George's Crosses, perhaps all those who would buy football games are already playing them. Noticeable changes this week are merely the slight ascension of The Sims 2 and the new arrival of Half-Life 2: Episode One at number eight. 1. Hitman: Blood Money2. FIFA World Cup Germany 20063. Tomb Raider: Legend4. Pro Evolution Soccer 55. X-Men: The Official Game6. Animal Crossing: Wild World7. The Sims 28. Half-Life 2: Episode One9. Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis10. Championship Manager 2006
UK sales charts, May 21-27: Hitman hits the spot
With the World Cup due to kick off in under a fortnight, UK consumers are doing the obvious thing -- and buying Hitman: Blood Money. The football-themed titles are still strong in the charts, but Eidos' Agent 47 has overtaken them in its first week of release. The recent Sims 2 expansion keeps the original fresh, too.1. Hitman: Blood Money2. FIFA World Cup Germany 20063. Pro Evolution Soccer 54. Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis5. Tomb Raider: Legend6. X-Men: The Official Game7. Animal Crossing: Wild World8. The Da Vinci Code9. Championship Manager 200610. The Sims 2
Slingbox released in UK
Because you can never have convenient enough access to all that great BBC programming, Sling Media has just released a version of their popular Slingbox for British TV junkies. The UK model has been tweaked a bit for European viewing, with PAL tuners replacing the NTSC versions found in US boxes, and a DVB-T tuner thrown in for placeshifting that sweet, sweet OTA Freeview content. In conjunction with the UK rollout, the folks at Sling also announced an updated version of the SlingPlayer PC software, whose main upgrades include widescreen 16:9 support and a skinnable client. Slingbox: UK will initially be available exclusively at PC World's website and retail locations -- and at Currys stores in four to six weeks -- for £180, VAT included.
