Apple 'hated videogames'

Apple demonstrated little to no ambition in the games market before the success of iPhone and the App Store. The father of Xbox says it is because the company "hated videogames".

"The victory of games is utterly complete with Apple," Xbox creator Seamus Blackley has told Edge magazine.

"They resisted it as hard as they could, and they couldn't resist it. It's a total victory."

Games support for the Macintosh format has always lagged behind Windows, with Apple seemingly averse to promoting the Mac as a gaming platform out of fear that it would "tarnish" its brand.

The only time Apple made any significant play in the games market was its ill-fated Bandai collaboration called Pippin, a multimedia games console using Mac technology released in 1996.

But now Apple is a major player in the games industry whether it likes it or not, with over 70,000 games currently available for iOS devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

"They tried real hard to make the iPad about word processing and music, and the audience just doesn't want it," Blackley says. "It's beautiful.

"You don't need to have a games strategy anymore. You need to have a strategy so that your platform isn't disadvantaged in playing games, because gaming is going to be the number one activity on any platform. The highest calling of any digital device is to play a game."

Blackley says the rise of the App Store reminds him of the pioneering days of the video game arcade.

"That era and this era have everything in common," Blackley says. "A game had to succeed or fail for a completely casual audience, with no marketing, based on its attract mode or the first 30 seconds of play.

"If you won, you made 100 million dollars. If you didn't win, you went out of business.

"Those arcade guys understand exactly what's going on now: we're in the era of the new arcade. It's something I'm betting heavily on.

"What's even more fascinating is that 99 cents, with inflation, is pretty much the same as a quarter. It couldn't be more perfect."

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Kinect for Xbox 360 Goes on Sale at 12:01 A.M. on November 4

Kinect for Xbox 360 is now just hours away for some gamers. Microsoft’s innovative Natural User Interface sensor for Xbox 360 consoles is scheduled to become available at 12:01 A.M. on November 4 in North America.

Excitement is great around the launch of Kinect, with Larry Hryb, the Xbox Live Director of Programming at Microsoft Games Studios (aka Major Nelson) handing out fresh hot doughnuts to customers waiting in line at Toys R Us in Times Square to buy the new device.


Kinect for Xbox 360 brings NUI gaming to a whole other level. Gamers can use gestures and voice commands in order to play, with Kinect delivering what the Redmond company calls controller-free gaming and entertainment.

“We see the future being about computers and sensors learning how to respond to you, instead of you having to learn how to respond to them,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of Interactive Entertainment at Microsoft.

“With Kinect, you are the controller,” Mattrick added. “All you have to do is step in front of the sensor and it instantly recognizes you and tracks your movements with no experience required.”

No less than 17 games tailored to Kinect will also go on sale come November 4th, 2010, enabling customers to take advantage of the new gaming experience available on Xbox 360 consoles.

Prices for Kinect will start at $150 for just the Xbox 360 add-on. However, retailers worldwide will offer special bundles with prices as high as $400, as is the case for the 250 GB Kinect Bundle.

Bundles contain not only the Kinect sensor, but also the Xbox 360 console as well as games tailored to the new NUI add-on.

“It was just three years ago that we had a $30,000 prototype, and now this week we are launching Kinect with a full retail game for a great value at just $149,” Mattrick added.

“What we have accomplished in this short period of time is transformative and will change the way people experience games and entertainment.”

Microsoft has already sold 45 million Xbox 360 units worldwide, and in mthis regard, it has a lot of potential Kinect buyers.

It is an exciting time for our company and we are pleased to see the reaction and enthusiasm for Kinect from the media, consumers and our partners,” Mattrick said.

Update: availability correction.

Xbox 360 dashboard update now out

The next time you turn on your Xbox 360, a major update will likely be available which brings with it a new dashboard (assuming you’re online, of course).

One major element this update includes is support for the upcoming Kinect motion controller, which is out on November 10th. It also sprinkles a fresh new look over the dashboard, making it a bit nippier to load and navigate as well.

Major Nelson (Larry Hryb) lists some of the other improvements on his blog, which include improved voice chat quality, a better designed virtual Qwerty keyboard, family settings, and the ability to sign out controllers in the sign-in user interface (a speedier method which will be particularly handy for Rock Band players).

Other major changes are the introduction of Zune Pass, the music streaming service along the lines of Spotify which costs £8.99 per month, and a revamp for the Sky Player.

The update is being rolled out gradually across all Xbox territories today, so if you haven’t received it yet, the download will be on its way imminently (in theory, anyway).

PS3 could catch Xbox 360 in two years

The worldwide install base of PS3 is now just 5.4m units behind that of Xbox 360, according to the latest numbers from Sony and Microsoft.

Eurogamer reports that total PS3 console sales now stand at 39.2m units. Xbox 360 retains a narrow lead for the time being with sales of 44.6m units.

However, in the most recent quarter it was the PS3 that enjoyed the better sales, shifting 3.5m machines. In contrast Microsoft sold 2.8m units. If those sales rates were to remain consistent then the PS3 would overtake the Xbox 360 by this time in 2012.

The big if here, though, is the possible impact of the recently released PS3 Move motion controller and the upcoming launch of Xbox 360 Kinect.

Kinect is proving to be a pre-sales hit, and a number of surveys have predicted that the camera peripheral will outperform Move in the market.

And as Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg argues, Kinect has been designed to expand the market reach of Xbox 360 whereas, as the Microsoft exec argues at least, Move has been designed to sell to the existing userbase.

UPDATE: As pointed out by one of our readers, Sony's numbers seem to suggest that the total number of PS3s sold currently stands at 41.6m This would mean at current sales rates PS3 would catch Xbox 360 by the end of 2011.

Kinect predicted to rule Christmas in UK

Microsoft Kinect is predicted to be this Christmas' most-wanted tech toy, according to a new industry report.

Market research outfit Ipsos says that Kinect will be the most popular gaming hardware in the UK in the run-up to Xmas 2010.

Ipsos claims that 13 per cent of Brits intend to buy a Kinect this Christmas, compared with only 11 per cent who are planning on investing in a PlayStation Move controller.

That said, Ipsos' research also adds that Kinect is perceived to have more "uniqueness" and "believability."

Kinect more believable than Move?

"Given a new usage experience, one might expect some level of scepticism among respondents for Kinect," reads Ipsos' report.

"Surprisingly, though, Kinect excels on both uniqueness and believability... PS Move is rather weak on both dimensions."

"While there are a lot of factors other than consumer appeal that influence demand, the underlying potential for Xbox Kinect looks very good."

Kinect is finally out in the UK on November 10. Not long now!

Kinect Sells Out, Xbox 360 Kinect Consoles Next?

Earlier this week, Amazon sold out of the suddenly scarce Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect!

The Kinect is retailing for $149.99 and comes bundled with Kinect Adventures. As the base unit is sold out, it appears that the new Xbox 360 Kinect console bundles are also seeing some traction on the best seller charts. The Kinect bundles have surpased the base Xbox 360 console units as of this morning. Will these console bundles also be in short supply as well?

Check it out:
Amazon - Xbox 360 250GB Console with Kinect - $399.99
Amazon - Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect - $299.99

Last week, the device was featured (and given away) on Oprah. Perhaps all of the soccer mom's are ditching their Wii's in favor of the Kinect? Anyway, the 'Oprah effect' and hype is steadily gripping North America as Microsoft appears to have a holiday hit on it's hands...

The Xbox 360 Kinect is set to release on November 4, 2010.

THQ Announces Fantastic Pets(TM), First Augmented Reality Title on Kinect for Xbox 360

Fantasy experience bridges real and virtual worlds in March 2011...

Offering a highly interactive fantasy experience that erases the line between the virtual and real worlds, THQ today announced Fantastic Pets™ on Kinect™ for Xbox 360®, no controller required. The first augmented reality game for Kinect for Xbox 360, Fantastic Pets puts players on-screen where their movements and voice commands allow them to play side-by-side with a pet of their own creation. Developed by Blitz Games Studios, Fantastic Pets on Kinect for Xbox 360 is scheduled for release in March 2011.

“Fantastic Pets offers an incredibly high level of interactivity, creativity and originality,” said Martin Good, Executive Vice President, THQ Kids, Family, Casual Games, and Global Online Services. “As you discover your pet’s personality and become enmeshed within the world, Fantastic Pets becomes more like a personalized adventure and less like a game.”

Fantastic Pets brings a world of adventure into the living room. Players start with four domestic animals – dog, cat, horse and lizard – that can be morphed into imaginative creations from mystical unicorns to ferocious dragons. Kinect for Xbox 360 technology enables players to step inside the world and onto the screen where they can play and care for their pets. Voice recognition allows players to command their pet throughout mini-games and Talent Shows to reach the professional ranks of a Pet Trainer. Players can unlock news items and activities, in addition to taking pictures of themselves and their pet to share with family and friends.