Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft must sometimes feel like its lead in the game market is a Pyrrhic victory. The Xbox 360 once again topped the NPD Group’s hardware charts in July, claiming a near-majority 49 percent market share of consoles — but the 203,000 units sold were a steep drop from the 257,000 units that traded hands in June, and a far cry from the glory days that would have given a victory more meaning. Nintendo and Sony haven’t shared their own figures, although the analyst group notes that only Nintendo’s 3DS and DSi had any kind of increase in the month. The industry as a whole was unmistakably feeling the combined effects of the pre-holiday doldrums and a console generation that’s long in the tooth: hardware revenue was down 32 percent in the month to $150.7 million, while the games in question saw revenue dip 23 percent to $260.7 million. If you need a culprit, earlier reports for the second quarter had credited similar shifts to sales of physical game copies declining faster than digital sales could replace them. Hope remains in the usual fall spike; even so, the July figures suggest the big three platforms might be living on borrowed time.

Filed under: Gaming

NPD: Xbox 360 ruled a steadily declining video game empire in July originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Late last year, Netflix kicked off its plans to specifically cater the young crowd with its ‘Just for Kids’ entertainment section — which, at that point, was nothing but a mere experiment. Still, the toons-filled project quickly found success amongst subscribers, and shortly thereafter it had made its way onto other platforms like the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3. Today, the Xbox 360’s the latest gaming system to join the fun, as Netflix’s announced the kids-only section is now available on Microsoft’s popular console. Obviously you’ll need both a Netflix and Xbox Live account prior to entering the hub and start streaming some Go, Diego, Go! — otherwise all that’s left to do is download the updated app before you (or your kids) can check it out.

Continue reading ‘Just for Kids’ now available on the Xbox 360: Go, Netflix, Go!

Filed under: Home Entertainment

‘Just for Kids’ now available on the Xbox 360: Go, Netflix, Go! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft has never been shy about its ambitions for Kinect’s depth sensing abilities. A pair of patent applications, however, show that its hopes and dreams are taking a more Hollywood turn. One patent has the depth camera going portable: a “mobile environment sensor” determines its trajectory through a room and generates a depth map as it goes, whether it’s using a Kinect-style infrared sensor or stereoscopic cameras. If the visual mapping isn’t enough, the would-be camera relies on a motion sensor like an accelerometer to better judge its position as it’s jostled around. Microsoft doesn’t want to suggest what kind of device (if any) might use the patent for its camera, but it’s not ruling out anything from smartphones through to traditional PCs.

The second patent filing uses the Kinect already in the house for that directorial debut you’ve always been putting off. Hand gestures control the movie editing, but the depth camera both generates a model of the environment and creates 3D props out of real objects. Motion capture, naturally, lets the humans in the scene pursue their own short-lived acting careers. We haven’t seen any immediate signs that Microsoft is planning to use this or the mobile sensor patent filing in the real world, although both are closer to reality than some of the flights of fancy that pass by the USPTO — the movie editor has all the hallmarks of a potential Dashboard update or Kinect Fun Labs project.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Gaming

Microsoft patent applications take Kinect into mobile cameras, movie-making originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can we establish a KIRF award for Most Likely to Invite Multiple Lawsuits? If so, Long Xun Software would have to claim the statuette for its Droid X360, at least if it dared set foot in the US. This prime example of keepin’ it real fake is even more of a PS Vita clone than the Yinlips YDPG18, but goes the extra mile with a name that’s likely to irk Microsoft, Motorola, Verizon and George Lucas all at once. That’s even discounting the preloaded emulators for just about every pre-1999 Nintendo, Sega and Sony console. Inside, you’ll at least find a device that’s reasonably up to snuff: the 5-inch handheld is running Android 4.0 on a 1.5GHz single-core Quanzhi A10 processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of built-in space, a 2-megapixel camera at the back and a VGA shooter at the front. If the almost gleeful amount of copyright and trademark violation isn’t keeping you from wanting this award-winner, you’ll have to ask Long Xun for pricing and availability.

Continue reading Droid X360 goes for the KIRF prize, antagonizes Microsoft, Motorola and Sony at the same time (video)

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Droid X360 goes for the KIRF prize, antagonizes Microsoft, Motorola and Sony at the same time (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We caught a glimpse of that Nike+ Kinect Training had to offer back at E3. Now, we’ll all be able to give it our best shot just before the holiday season. The Kinect exercise title for the Xbox 360 is set to hit shelves on October 30th and will carry a $49.99 price tag. Claiming to make us “athlete-fit”, the software will offer constant tips on form and technique while monthly reports will display progress along the way. Still no word on companion apps for mobile platforms, but the kit is expected to play nice with Windows Phone devices at launch for session reminders and sharing achievements with training mates.

Filed under: Gaming, Software

Nike+ Kinect Training arrives October 30th, looks to whip you into shape for $50 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 10:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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