Hasta La Gadget!

So, first things first. Sega actually shipped some pretty insane gear. A handheld console that used full-size Genesis cartridges? Check. A sophisticated Tamagotchi that our own editor-in-chief developed games for? Yessir. Something called a “32X” that stacked on top of an already sizable home console? Sure, why not? Given the outfit’s history, the item you’re peering at above doesn’t feel all that outlandish. According to one Super Magnetic — a self-proclaimed ex-employee of Sega — this is Pluto.

As the story goes, Sega was pondering the release of a Saturn variant that included an embedded NetLink device. At the time, online console gaming was in its earliest stages, and someone likely assumed that they could kickstart things by including an Ethernet jack from the get-go. Of course, Pluto never saw the light of day in the consumer world — thankfully, you can partake in a few more shots of what could’ve been at the source link below.

Filed under: Gaming

Comments

Via: Joystiq

Source: Assembler Games

OUYA vowed a steady stream of updates to its inaugural console on the road to a June retail launch, and it just released one of the more important examples. Among other fixes, the inconspicuously titled 1.0.193 firmware upgrade lets customers change their credit card info after they’ve created an account — rather vital to anyone who has to swap cards in the wake of identity theft, or who just wants to gift an account to a friend. While few owners beyond the earliest adopters will fully appreciate the change, it’s good to know that there shouldn’t be a payment panic when OUYA units arrive in force.

Filed under: Gaming

Comments

Via: Joystiq

Source: OUYA

The PlayStation 4 hasn’t even been shown off to the public yet, but already the box is on the minds of millions of people across the globe. In fact, in a recent earnings call with investors, GameStop president Tony Bartel said that his company has 900,000 people signed up for its first-to-know list on the PlayStation 4. And he expects demand to far outstrip supply of the console when it launches.

Such demand already might surprise some folks. After all, it took a long time for the PlayStation 3 to truly get off the ground and although it’ll likely end this generation with more worldwide sales than the Xbox 360, in the U.S., especially, it’s no match for Microsoft’s console.

To make matters worse, it appears that gamers aren’t all that excited about the next generation of consoles across the board. The Wii U, after all, has been watching its sales slow to crawl and even GameStop said publicly that it’s been disappointed by the Wii U. What in the world would make the PlayStation 4 different?

Well, I think there are a host of reasons. I’m a firm believer that Sony is still a household name in the U.S. and in Japan – its two key markets – and people buy products from the company solely because they trust the name. And despite the PlayStation 3’s initial troubles, the console turned out to be quite a success, allowing its predecessor to deliver solid results next time around.

“It’s unfair to compare the PS4 with the Wii U”

It’s also unfair to compare the PlayStation 4 with the Wii U. Nintendo’s console is one that’s a barely updated alternative to the predecessor. As I’ve said here before, I believe the Wii U is a catch-up device. And historically, catch-up devices don’t really perform all that well on store shelves.

The PlayStation 4, however, is a high-end product with all kinds of graphical firepower; it’s the kind of device that true gamers really want. And chances are, Sony will once again have the full support of the developer community to ensure it doesn’t fall short from a library perspective.

Most importantly, though, I think the strong demand for the PlayStation 4 tells us that, despite conventional wisdom suggesting that mobile and casual gaming is the future, console gamers are still extremely engrossed in their favored way of playing games. And that’s not going to change anytime soon.

The fact is that console gaming has a long way to go to ultimately match the promise gamers have been hoping for all this time. And companies like Sony and Microsoft are willing to push the envelope and put themselves in a position where they can capitalize on customers that want a true next-generation device, and not something that’s simply labeled as one.

So yes, I understand the excitement surrounding the PlayStation 4, and I can say without any hesitation that I’m one of those folks that’s excited to see what’s coming next from Sony. The future is now. And Sony is one of the few companies in the gaming industry that’s willing to embrace it.

Why the PlayStation 4 Is Already In High Demand is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Bad news for those still rocking out on the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo has announced that they’ll be shutting down five Wii channels on June 28 in North America and Japan. Affected channels are Forecast, News, Everybody Votes, Check Mii Out, Digicam Print, and the Nintendo Channel, as well as the WiiConnect24 feature.

The only games that could end up being affected are those that take advantage of WiiConnect24, including games like Wii Music and Mario Kart Wii, which allow you to send messages and other game information to friends via WiiConnect24. Now that the service is being shut down, these games may end up being slightly less appealing.

For now, it just looks like that North America and Japan are affected by the retirement, but other regions of the world could see the same thing happen sooner or later. The Wii is over six years old, which is certainly a long time, but we’re not sure that’s old enough to warrant discontinuations of various Wii features just yet.

Of course, it makes sense in the end, because Nintendo has the Wii U to focus on, and whenever a company releases a new console, its predecessor usually falls by the wayside. However, the slow discontinuation of the original Wii will put more pressure on Nintendo to step up its game with the Wii U. Hopefully they can keep their new console relevant and up-to-date.

[via The Next Web]

Nintendo shutting down six Wii channels on June 28 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Most modern gaming consoles are big, heavy and power-thirsty. They dominate the entertainment centers into which they’re placed and suck down hundreds of watts of electricity when they’re running. They’ve evolved this way, growing larger and more powerful to deliver better graphics and more comprehensive gameplay experiences. So too have their talents expanded. It’s no longer good enough for a gaming console to simply play games: modern systems have to be complete home entertainment devices.

Or do they? When the OUYA was announced in July of 2012, its $99 cost was low and its processing power as simple as its premise: a tiny little box designed to be a haven for those who want to play (or develop) good, original games. Many gamers connected with this idea immediately, helping to drive the system to an $8 million run on Kickstarter. Plenty of others didn’t, saying this would be just a cheap distraction on which to play mediocre Android games. The truth, as it turns out, lies somewhere in between.

Filed under: Gaming

Comments