Hasta La Gadget!

We’re still waiting on that globe-like PS9 (aren’t you?), but seeing as how wireless head-to-console gaming isn’t yet available or ethical, we’ll make do with PS4 rumors. Based on nothing more than a game of component-maker telephone, sources out of Taiwan are telling Digitimes to expect a brand new PlayStation 4 for launch sometime in early 2012. Reportedly on board for this latest iteration are baked-in motion controls à la Kinect and a holographic David Lynch virtual pet. We kid, but we do hope he helms those new ads. According to these anonymous insiders, Sony has a planned production run of 20 million consoles for launch — all headed straight to eBay, we imagine. It should go without saying that news of this kind should be taken with a mouthful of salt, but with the PS3 turning five this November, it’s a safe bet that there’s a successor to the “It Only Does Everything” throne on the way.

[Image credit via CNET Asia]

PS4 production to begin later this year? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dennis Durkin is COO and CFO for Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business. He’s also a dude thoroughly disillusioned with the future of portable consoles. Speaking to IndustryGamers, Durkin explains that the “crowded” nature of the mobile gaming market right now makes it extremely difficult to launch a dedicated handheld gaming device successfully — in his colorful words, it’s “a very, very red ocean.” Whose blood is soiling those waters? The Nintendo 3DS, says Durkin, which has sold reasonably well, but has clearly failed to reach the lofty expectations set for it by fans and previous handhelds from the company. Likewise, the PS Vita invites a lot of skepticism from the Xbox chief, who says his excitement is reserved for what Microsoft can do with Kinect, Xbox Live and unique content. You might say it’s to be expected that an Xbox exec would be casting doubt over Sony’s great new hope, but what we learn in the process is that Microsoft has no intentions of squaring up to its home console nemesis on the mobile front. Not with dedicated hardware, anyway.

Xbox COO sees dedicated handheld market as a ‘red ocean,’ will let Sony and Nintendo swim in it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exactly as promised, Redbox is today inaugurating a new branch to its media-renting venture with the introduction of video game rentals at $2 a day. There’s a pretty rich and fresh selection on offer, including the likes of Duke Nukem Forever, Dirt 3, and Brink, and you can reserve your copy online before moseying down to your nearest Redbox kiosk to execute the transaction. About 5,000 of those crimson encasements have already been partaking in the testing of this service, but now Redbox is flipping the switch on the other 21,000 across the US and making things officially official.

Redbox starts renting out video games nationwide, charges $2 for your Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii pleasure originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 05:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo’s E3 2011 keynote yesterday gave the world its first official look at the all-new Wii U hardware plus (we thought) a glimpse at the graphical capabilities of its next console. As it turns out, the impressive list of upcoming games for the 2012-bound console was just that, a list, with the visuals we saw on screen coming from PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of said titles. Nintendo of America chief Reggie Fils-Aime has confirmed that to be the case in an interview with GameTrailers, where he also points out that the eventual Wii U games will look at least as good as their PS3 / 360 counterparts. Which is why, in his eyes, it’s okay to show us those games being played on the competition’s (current-gen) hardware. He does remind us that the Wii U will be delivering graphics at a 1080p resolution, and points to the garden tech demo that also graced E3 as an indicator of what can be done with Nintendo’s next console. That’s all well and good, but maybe tell us in advance next time, Reggie?

Nintendo admits its Wii U highlight reel was spiced up with PS3 and Xbox 360 footage originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coming in 2012, Nintendo’s next home console will deliver “deeper game experiences” that aim to offer “something for everyone.” And it’ll be called the Wii U! A variety of new controls will be made available by that crazy new controller with a 6.2-inch touchscreen embedded in it. Most importantly, you’ll no longer be tied to a TV to enjoy your home consoling action — the Wii U controller can handle your gaming session when the television is needed for other purposes, while a built-in front-facing cam will let you video chat from anywhere too. Notably, you won’t have to use the 6.2-inch behemoth if you don’t want too — the Wii U will be compatible with all current-gen accessories and software. Yes, your expansive Wii collection will play on the U version of the console as well. We’ve also seen some decidedly high-def visuals from Nintendo showing off the Wii U’s graphical prowess. See video of the unveiling after the break!

Batman: Arkham City, an Assassin’s Creed game, Dirt, Ghost Recon Online, Tekken, Metro Last Light, Aliens Colonial Marines, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, and Darksiders II all got a mention as coming to the Wii U. Yes! EA’s John Riccitiello just said the Wii U will deliver “brilliant HD graphics.” Finally, the Wii is going HD!

Speaking of HD, the fact sheet from Nintendo informs us that the Wii U can pump out 1080p video over HDMI. It’ll also be compatible with component, S-video and composite cables. There’ll be “internal flash memory” of unspecified quantity, which will be expandable via either an SD card or external USB HDD. IBM is, as with the original Wii, once again responsible for providing the processor inside. Four USB 2.0 slots are made available, while game media will be served up on “proprietary high-density optical discs.” There’s also another, worthwhile, reminder that the Wii U will play Wii games and their optical discs without a problem.

Update: We just got word from the folks at Kotaku that Nintendo game designer Katsuya Eguchi has revealed the Wii U’s proprietary disc format will hold up to 25GB of data.

Update 2: And now we have the final piece of the puzzle: the Wii U’s graphics will be handled by a “custom AMD Radeon HD GPU.”

Continue reading The Wii U, Nintendo’s next console (video)

The Wii U, Nintendo’s next console (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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