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UK sales charts, April 23-29: Football crazy
With World Cup season kicking off, the UK charts have gone sports mad, with three football titles in the top ten. EA's ll-new FIFA World Cup rockets in at number one, knocking Tomb Raider from its three-week reign. Another new entry in the top ten is NCsoft's Guild Wars: Factions, a sequel-cum-expansion to the popular fee-free MMO. Elsewhere in the charts 24: The Game sneaks in at number 31, with Trauma Center going straight to number 40. 1. FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 2. Tomb Raider: Legend 3. Football Manager 2006 4. Animal Crossing: Wild World 5. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown 6. The Godfather 7. Guild Wars: Factions 8. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 9. FIFA Street 2 10. Buzz! The Big Quiz
Shinco's UK-bound Voyager GPS 400
Brits looking for an in-car GPS solution that they can also throw in a sack and take along on a constitution will soon have a new option from Chinese manufacturer Shinco. The Voyager GPS 400 is a PDA-size receiver in white with a 4-inch, 480 x 272 color touchscreen, birds-eye view mapping, SD slot for MP3 playback, and preloaded maps covering the two million hottest destinations on the British Isles. You seem to get a pretty solid accessory pack in the box as well, with a windshield mount, extension antenna, decent carrying case, and both car and wall chargers standard. E-tailer Firebox is currently taking pre-orders for the Voyager, which is supposed to arrive on the 11th, for a very reasonable $420.[Via Tech Digest]
Koch to distribute Wii all over UK
We couldn't resist ... the headline wrote itself! But seriously, folks, if you haven't heard, back in January, Nintendo appointed Koch Media to be the preferred distribution partner of their products in the UK. Yep, that's it. Now get back to work![Thanks, Cirrus]
CPL cancellation "a step backwards"
The BBC reports on the disappearance of the CPL World Tour from an international perspective. With budding British pro gamers having pinned their hopes on the event -- one even giving up a tennis career -- the cancellation comes as quite a blow. Teams that have trained on specific games, maps and rulesets have work ahead to retrain for other events.Philip Wride, manager of Intel-sponsored clan 4Kings, described the move as "a step backwards" for pro gaming. While there are still tournaments in Europe, the UK is left with just a few LAN tournaments that concentrate on fun rather than professional prize money. However, for gamers willing to travel, there is still a substantial amount of cash available to those who play well -- the World Series of Video Games, World Cyber Games and e-Sports World Cup all offer the chance to triumph.
Arsenal equip new stadium with HDTV
The Dolphins aren't the only one with HD aspirations, Arsenal Football Club (the other football) has teamed up with Sony to outfit their new stadium with high definition from top to bottom. With a whopping 439 screens all connected via network (sounds like they'll be using these). The Baltimore Ravens went with a similar approach last season with the help of Panasonic.Seems like a great way to introduce the fans to HD, as they walk through the stadium and enjoy games they'll surely want one of those nice new TVs for their home, and that is what Sony is betting on. When your local team comes begging for funds to build a new stadium, would you prefer two big 720p screens, or several hundred smaller LCDs?
UK sales charts, April 16-22: Tomb Raider still on top
The sales figures are in, with last week's UK sales looking similar to the one before. Tomb Raider Legend is still number one, and Ice Age 2 is enjoying popularity both at the box office and in the games charts, though with 28,000 fewer sales. King Kong has dropped out of the top ten, with The Sims 2: Family Fun Pack jumping in to replace it, and the continued dominance of Crazy Frog Racer (29) over Guitar Hero (36) is depressing us.The ten bestselling games in the UK for the week ending April 22:1. Tomb Raider Legend2. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown3. Animal Crossing: Wild World4. Fifa Street 25. The Godfather6. The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff7. Football Manager 20068. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter9. Buzz! The Big Quiz10. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Misleading TV ads face UK ban
Game ads have been showing pre-rendered CGI images, rather than in-game footage, for a while -- but the UK advertising industry has only just caught on. After complaints that Call of Duty 2's graphics didn't match up to the advertising, games ads have been hastily slapping a disclaimer on and hoping the advertising authorities will look the other way.The Broadcast Advertising Clearing Centre and Advertising Standards Authority are investigating, but something seems fishy, with the BACC claiming that advertisers aren't revealing the CGI nature of the footage. It's a well-entrenched advertising trick, but now that the authorities are aware of it, they might try and stop it. Actual in-game footage would give commercials a credible touch, but since TV advertising is only one of many channels used to promote games, advertisers don't seem too worried about the potential ban of CGI yet.
UK drivers trust GPS more than their own eyes
We've heard reports before about the dangers of driving while under the influence of GPS, but it looks like drivers in the UK have taken trust of their navigation units to the extreme. Twice in the space of the last two weeks, we've seen reports of British drivers taking serious risks because they trust the info displayed on the small screen more than what they see through their windshield. In the most recent case, drivers passing through the village of Luckington have found themselves landing in the River Avon, by following a GPS-recommended route that pointed to a bridge that has been closed for a week. Despite warning signs on both sides of the road, and nothing but water straight ahead, local villagers have found themselves pulling an average of two cars a day out of the river for the past week. "When you ask what happened, they say, ‘My sat-nav told me it was this way,'" one resident told The Times. Meanwhile, the village of Crackpot (yes, that's really its name) has had to deal with drivers whose navigation systems have directed them to the edge of a cliff with a hundred-foot drop. So far, there have been no serious injuries, but drivers have found themselves stranded on a rocky path. "It's only a matter of time before something happens," said one resident. Listen, we like GPS as much as the next sense-of-direction-impaired driver. But we also do our best to use our eyes, as well. And if you don't, well, there's a village in England named for you, and it ain't Luckington.Read - LuckingtonRead - Crackpot
MSFT promises more HD-DVD info at E3
In an interview with Germany's Spiegel Online, Microsoft's executive in charge of the European market for the company's Xbox gaming consoles, Chris Lewis, talks about the Xbox 360, HD-DVD and, of course, Blu-ray. When asked about the anticipated HD-DVD player add-on, Lewis says, "We'll say a little bit more about it at E3. It will give people access to HD DVD." When asked about the console's omission of HDMI, and its possible inclusion in whatever form the add-on takes, he said, "All I can say to you is -- there are interesting developments in the pipeline. We will make sure that the HD-DVD-peripheral device will meet all the requirements for consumers to enjoy high-definition DVD playback."What does he think if Sony's competing Blu-ray format? "Blu-ray right now reminds us of another technology from Sony: Betamax." Oh schnap! Sony does have a long list of failed proprietary formats, not the least of which is the currently floundering UMD format used in the PSP. Will consumers pony up for HD movie capabilities in their console, or is it really all about choice?[Thanks, TOMCATS; via Xboxic]
24 hour shipping for MacBook Pros in UK
Good news, UK. It seems that Apple has worked out the supply-and-demand issues that were hindering the shipment of MacBook Pros. According to Macworkd UK, the online Apple Store now promises that MacBook Pros will be ready for shipment within 24 hours of your placing an order. Huzzah! Enjoy your swanky new laptops!
Should the BBC be doing games?
The British Broadcasting Corporation, as a public service corporation, is in an interesting position with regards to gaming. Broadcasting is moving away from just providing TV and radio programmes towards interactive content; the BBC's remit is to "educate, inform and entertain". With decades of history in entertainment and storytelling, how does gaming fit in?Alice over at Wonderland has some interesting views on the subject -- and as a BBC employee, she's well placed to give her personal view in a lengthy and worthwhile piece. An interesting point ties in with both the BBC's Digital Britain and the recent findings that (unsurprisingly) lots of Britons are gamers:Most importantly though, the BBC has an obligation to reach all of its license-fee paying households. If there are household members who prefer games to television and radio, then the BBC ought to be providing to them on the platforms and mediums they favour.Perhaps we'll end up reliving history: in 1981 the BBC instigated the creation of a microcomputer to be used for educational purposes during the show The Computer Programme. This influenced the microcomputer revolution in the UK; if the BBC gets into gaming in the same way, perhaps the UK's attitude towards games could be similarly revolutionised. The BBC is in a position to turn game development and esports into a national pastime, if it so chooses -- the question is whether it ought to.
Virgin Mobile poised to launch MVNO in China
Interfax China is reporting that Virgin Mobile is close to signing a partnership with wireless carrier China Unicom that would make the UK-based company the first foreign MVNO in post-WTO China. Although Virgin would still require approval from the Chinese government, which carefully scrutinizes all proposed foreign business presences, the company will benefit from past deals in which Spain's Telefonica and Germany's Vodafone have made invesments in domestic telecom firms. Virgin already has offices in Shanghai, and CEO Richard Branson recently told reporters to expect a Chinese launch this fall, so it would seem pretty likely that this venture, which is well over a year in the making, has the necessary government support to proceed.
Despite warnings, more UK drivers caught using cellphones
While a number of studies have concluded that driving while using a cellphone can be dangerous, and many governments impose fines for driving-while-talking, the number of DWT cases prosecuted in the UK has actually risen by 75% in the past year. However, indications are that the rise may have less to do with chattier motorists than with stepped-up enforcement by police, including the use of tag-reading cameras. UK DWT fines are due to double, from £30 to £60 this year, so prosecutions may actually start to decline -- unless the chattering class of drivers is also price-insensitive.
NTL makes bid for Virgin Mobile UK buyout
Through various combinations of offers involving weird fractions of shares and certain amounts of "pence," NTL has reached an agreement of with the Independent Board of Virgin Mobile Holdings to buy out the entire Virgin Mobile MVNO. The straight up cash offer is GBP 962.4 million ($1.68 billion USD), 372 pence per share. NTL is also offering 0.23245 shares of their stock for Virgin Mobile shares, or 0.18596 NTL shares plus 67 pence each. Virgin Mobile, which operates on the T-Mobile network, is the UK's largest MVNO, at 4.3 million subscribers. NTL is also entering into an agreement that allows them to brand their TV and fixed-line phone services as Virgin. We can't say we've exactly crunched all the numbers, so it's hard to give a thumbs up or down on the fiscal validity of the offer, but we're cooking up a sweet graph in Excel right now -- drop shadows and everything.
UK police claim thieves are sniffing for laptops with Bluetooth phones
No disrespect towards the fine police of the United Kingdom or their Sherlock Holmsian skills, but we're mighty skeptical of a recent warning by the Cambridgeshire division that thieves are using their cellphones to locate and steal Bluetooth-enabled laptops from the "boots" of cars. So far all of the evidence concerning this new high-tech modus operandi seems to be anecdotal, as police in Royston are also claiming that a recent a spate of laptop thefts can be attributed to Bluetooth-sniffing crooks, but neither department is reporting how they came to these conclusions. Still, it's probably not a bad idea to shutdown your machine instead of putting it sleep when storing it in the car, toggle your Bluetooth setting to "undiscoverable," or just bring the damn thing along if you're going to be away from your ride for awhile.[Via The Raw Feed]
SkyHD is (almost) open for business
For our UK readers, you can finally pre-order high definition service from Sky. A quick rundown: Launch in May £299 to buy the box £10 per month subscription fee Check the official website for more details or our previous post. Thanks to Ashley and choare for the tip!
"Digital Britain" key to BBC's future
The UK government has published a white paper on the future of the BBC, an organisation described as "unique" by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The BBC is mainly associated with the television and radio channels it produces in return for a licence fee which must be paid by almost everyone watching television in the UK. However, the organisation is not restricted to these platforms, nor is it resistant to changes in technology, as the BBC News video report "Entertainment 'key' to BBC future" outlines.The report focuses on a fairly typical family; the parents watch television regularly, but the children tend to gravitate towards games and digital media, only occasionally turning to TV for specific programmes. As technology attracts television views away from their sets, more ways of delivering the BBC's content are being investigated, from TV on phones to downloadable media.The BBC appears to be moving into games as part of their "Digital Britain" initiative--under the banner of "interactive and web-based services", games (or interactive stories) like Jamie Kane give the BBC the opportunity to try new directions in storytelling and gaming. It's clear from the news report that the BBC acknowledges gaming as a key activity for its licence fee payers; this commitment to interactivity should see more game-based content being delivered to the BBC's customers and help the BBC's games research along a step or two.
BAFTA awards recognise games as art
The BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards are the UK's answer to the Oscars. While the awards have featured a video games section since 1997, the British Academy Video Games Awards are to be moved up a gear, with games now considered equal to film and television in BAFTA's eyes. Calling games "one of the principal contemporary art forms" is likely to contribute to the "games as art" debate, but it's a move which will hopefully give gaming a more serious face. The awards will be held in October as the climax of London Games Week.
Fuss over Sony PSP ads in the UK
In the wake of Sony's graffiti-fuelled advertising campaign, the games giant has tried a fresh start, plastering public transport in the UK with enticing slogans. However, the slogans seem to have caused more trouble than necessary; an advert on a Manchester platform encouraging travellers to "take a running jump" has been deemed inappropriate and is due to be removed.Elsewhere, in London, large Tube ads encouraging users to seemingly fill their PSPs with porn have caused some confusion. Could this be another attempt to whip up interest in Sony's advertising campaign, or are they simply a couple of misguided messages that looked better in the boardroom?[Thanks, Dave]
Apple airs modified Intel ad in UK
Apple is airing a slightly different version of their Intel ad in the UK. They have changed the voice over to remove the 'dull little boxes dutifully doing dull little tasks' line and replaced it with, 'dutifully doing all the things PC's were built to do.'This change makes this a less effective ad, but you don't have to take my word for it because you can watch it yourself.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
