Director Bay joins DVD format war

Director Michael Bay briefly threatened to pull out of a sequel to Transformers after Paramount Pictures dropped the next generation Blu-ray DVD format.

"No Transformers 2 for me!" wrote the director on his personal website. "To deny people who have Blu-ray sucks!"

But his comments were replaced several hours later with an apology as Bay confessed: "I over-reacted."

On Monday, Paramount and DreamWorks said they were dropping Blu-ray in favour of the rival HD-DVD format.

The announcement means that blockbusters like Shrek the Third, and Bay's Transformers film, will not be released on Blu-ray.

Movies directed by Steven Spielberg, however, will continue to be released in both formats.

Format war

Electronics giant Sony, which owns Blu-ray, is locked in a battle for supremacy with Toshiba, which created HD-DVD.

Each format offers a higher quality of picture and sound than current DVDs.

Blu-ray discs have more storage space, which can mean a better image, while HD-DVD offers more interactive features.

The race for dominance is reminiscent of the format war between VHS and Betamax video tapes in the 1980s.

The Blu-ray camp has notched up some victories against its rival recently, including a vote of support from video rental company Blockbuster.

Prices of players on both sides have dropped recently - with dedicated HD-DVD players outselling Blu-ray in the US.

However, the fact that Sony's PlayStation 3 games console can play Blu-ray discs means more homes have Blu-ray players.

It is believed that Hollywood studios could ultimately decide the fate of the two formats, but the fact that Sony is itself a movie studio has complicated the matter.

Warner Brothers is now the only company to release films in both formats, meaning that Spider-Man 3 will be a Blu-ray exclusive, while The Bourne Ultimatum will only be available on HD-DVD.

Famous supporters

Aside from Bay, several film-makers have voiced their support for different formats.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who is responsible for Pirates of the Caribbean series, said Blu-Ray "far surpasses any other format".

A spokesperson for Dreamworks Pictures told film trade paper Variety that Steven Spielberg was also "a supporter of Blu-ray", although he added: "He is not exclusive to either format".

Bay, whose previous film credits include Bad Boys, Pearl Harbour and Armageddon, wrote on his website that he had been converted to HD-DVD after watching war epic 300.

He explained his original comments were written late at night after friends had complained they would not be able to watch Transformers on Blu-ray.

"As a director, I'm all about people seeing films in the best quality possible, and I saw and heard first-hand people upset about a corporate decision," he wrote.

"I heard where Paramount is coming from, and the future of HD, and players that will be close to the $200 (£100) mark which is the magic number. I like what I heard," he said.

"So I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!"

PlayStation to record digital TV

PlayStation 3 (PS3) users in Europe will soon be able to record and playback digital TV on their console.

Sony has unveiled a TV tuner which plugs into the PS3 and turns it into a personal video recorder like Sky+.

The company has held a press conference at the Leipzig games show in which it highlighted key multimedia capabilities for the PS3 and handheld PSP.

More than 200,000 gamers are expected at the German show, playing some of the year's biggest games.

Games on display at the show will include Halo 3, Mass Effect, Super Mario Galaxy, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, Crysis, Warhammer Online and the new expansion pack for World of Warcraft, The Lich King.

Wireless internet

PlayTV for PS3 is a twin TV tuner that will launch in early 2008 in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain with other countries to follow.

Recorded programmes can be streamed over a wireless internet connection to the portable PSP or transferred permanently to the handheld console via a USB cable.

In a statement, David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, said PlayTV would extend the "broad entertainment credentials of PS3".

It is the first time a console has been given PVR capabilities. Gamers will have access to free channels that are delivered over digital terrestrial.

Rival Microsoft has touted its Xbox 360 as a platform for internet TV but no partner has yet come forward while its Xbox Live video download service has not launched outside the US.

Instant messaging

No price details for the PlayTV tuner were given.

Sony also used the conference to give more details of a video chat and instant messaging system for the PSP, called Go!Messenger, developed in conjunction with BT in the UK.

PSP users in Europe will be able to send messages, and video chat with each other once the software behind the tool is released in January.

Sony also unveiled a GPS add-on for the PSP, called Go!Explore, and said a UK video download service for the console, developed in conjunction with Sky and called Go!, would launch in the UK in January.

Price details for the new services were not given.

Sony will be hoping that the new multimedia functionality for its PlayStation 3 and PSP consoles will make them more attractive to both gamers and non-gamers.

Both machines lag behind sales of rival devices from Nintendo and Microsoft, such as the Wii, DS handheld console and Xbox 360.

Increase shipments

Sony said it aimed to increase shipments of the PS3 to 11 million units by 2008.

Unlike other major games conferences, Leipzig is open to the public and 200,000 gamers are expected to attend the four-day event to get their hands on the latest titles.

"This year we are expecting over 9,000 trade visitors and some 2,800 journalists from over 35 countries," said Josef Rahmen, managing director of the Leipziger Messe, in a statement.

The industry has gone on a charm offensive in recent years to improve the profile of games in Germany, which has a rigorous ratings and regulatory system.

The country is the third-biggest market for video games in Europe, behind the UK and France, with PC titles dominating the market.

No console invasion for World of Warcraft

If you've ever been playing World of Warcraft and found yourself thinking "hey, this would be awesome if it were on a console" then you're not alone. Apparently, quite a few people want to see this as well, but it won't be happening any time soon.

Blizzard Poster/ Community Manager Drysc said that "we're [Blizzard] madly in love with the PC and Mac platforms, and there are no plans at this time to bring World of Warcraft to any other platforms." Based on that statement, it looks like we're going to have to stick with our regular setup of playing the game on our PCs and Macs.

This is sad news for those who were planning on playing the game on their couches Still, if you're really set on playing WoW in the living room, you could always move your PC there and hook it up to the PC. It might not be the easiest thing to do, but at least you'll be on the couch.

GTA IV Delay Till 04/04/2008

The delay of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV video game for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 has fans and fanboys everywhere in an uproar. You can’t browse a video game website without running into something related to the delay. Whether it has to do with rumors of a refund regarding the exclusive downloadable content deal (which cost Microsoft 50 million) or as we are about to discuss, the many finger pointing articles being published across the web.

Some sites are entertaining the notion that the PS3 is the cause for the delay, with individuals such as industry analyst Michael Pachter stating that it is his belief Rockstar is struggling with development on the PS3 console. According to an interview with Gameindustry.biz, Pachter was quoted saying the following:

“We think it is likely that the Rockstar team had difficulty in building an exceptionally complicated game for the PS3, and failed to recognize how far away from completion the game truly was until recently,”

“We think it is also likely that Take-Two had a contractual commitment to Sony that it would not favor competitor Microsoft by launching the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV prior to launching the PS3 version, and believe that any delay of the PS3 version necessitated a delay of the Xbox 360 version,”

Food for thought? Sure, but far from a direct source and certainly unconfirmed. Rockstar has been developing GTA content for Sony since the PS1 so we aren’t buying this excuse. On to the next possibility …

Playstation 3 fanboys are outraged, screaming “it’s Microsoft’s fault” — and maybe it is. In a recent interview with GamePro.com, Microsoft Game Studios Corporate Vice President, Shane Kim was asked about a rumor that Grand Theft Auto IV would not be compatible with the Core system because the game may require a hard drive. Kim responded:

“No, we want to support all of the Xbox 360s, otherwise it becomes very confusing. We really want to avoid that as much as possible.”

GamePro then followed up by asking how the company (Microsoft) would respond if Rockstar demanded the use of hard drive to play the upcoming GTA IV. Kim responded:

“We get to make the call on who gets published on our platform … [inaudible] we’d push back on any publisher saying things like that.”

This was all the PS3 faithful needed to hear. They were now convinced that the finger should in fact be pointed towards Microsoft and not their beloved PlayStation 3. What do we think? Well, we believe that the blame may be Microsoft’s, however not for this reason. Which brings us to our next possibility …

There was a rumor floating around over two months ago that Rockstar may delay the October launch of GTA IV due to an announcement made in May that Microsoft would be releasing Halo 3 at the end of September. In a “note to investors” industry analyst Michael Pachter (now that name looks familiar) was quoted by GameDaily.com saying:

“We believe that it is possible that the company will choose to ‘throw in the towel’ on FY:07 by shifting the release date for Grand Theft Auto IV by a few weeks, increasing the losses incurred this year and improving the company’s prospects for FY:08,”

“We believe that a two-week delay would provide a reasonable gap between the launch of Halo 3 and the launch of GTA IV, and would actually help sales of both games,”

The rumor was denied by Rockstar, stating that the game was still on track for an October release. Fast forward a few months and Halo 3 is still slated for release on September 25th, however fans looking to take control of Niko Bellic on both the 360 and PS3 consoles will be forced to wait until Q2: 2008.

So where do we stand? It is our belief that the delay has nothing to do with a lack of hard drive in the 360 Core System or the supposed development issues on the PS3, instead we believe it has everything to do with the release of Halo 3.

That said, we guess you could say it is Microsoft’s fault indirectly — however, if this is in fact the reason for the delay, angered fans should be pointing their fingers directly at Take Two Interactive.

Special Edition Halo 3 Xbox

OK, it’s coming to the US for sure but there’s no guarantee that us humble, second-class Europeans will get a chance to buy the Halo 3-themed Xbox 360 console – except maybe on eBay.

Microsoft has just confirmed that the lurid green console will land in September with a price tag of $399. Still, you really will have to be wearing your fanboy/collectors hat for this one since what you’re getting is essentially an Xbox 360 with the weenie 20GB hard disk drive, not the Elite version.

The biggest joke is that this special edition console, designed to cash in on the launch of one of the year’s biggest games, will not come bundled with a copy of the game. Jump now for the full specs.

Features

* Halo 3 Special Edition Console
* Halo 3 Special Edition Wireless Controller
* Halo 3 Special Edition 20GB Hard Drive
* Halo 3 Special Edition Wired Headset
* Halo 3 Special Edition Gamer Pics and Theme (Exclusive download via Xbox LIVE)
* Component HD AV Cable
* Ethernet Cable
* HDMI Port
* Play & Charge Kit
* Xbox LIVE Silver Membership
* One-month Lbox LIVE Gold Membership

*Halo 3 game not included--sold separately

PS3 Song

Just to complement the 360 song here another side of the story, enjoy! :D

Xbox 360 Song

I had to post this video it's rather amusing considering I'm on my second 360 and the fact that i don't know any one thats on their first!

Introduction

Would just like to welcome every one to my new blog, The blog will be updated shorty with comparisons between the Xbox 360 and the PS3.