The Engadget Show live with Nicholas Negroponte, PlayStation Move, and Joystiq’s Chris Grant

Keep your eyes tuned to this post — because at 5:00 PM ET, we’ll be starting The Engadget Show live, with Nicholas Negroponte of the MIT Media Lab and OLPC Project, Dr. Richard Marks showing off Sony’s PlayStation Move, commentary from Joystiq editor Chris Grant, plus much, much, more! You seriously don’t want to miss it!

Update:
The live show is over, but don’t fret. We’ve got the full version coming soon (within a day) for download via iTunes, Zune Marketplace, and RSS feed, or you can watch the stream right here. Stay tuned, the post will be soon!

Continue reading The Engadget Show live with Nicholas Negroponte, PlayStation Move, and Joystiq’s Chris Grant

The Engadget Show live with Nicholas Negroponte, PlayStation Move, and Joystiq’s Chris Grant originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Move controller lag detected, analyzed

PlayStation Move controller lag detected, analyzed, dismissedWhen Sony unveiled its PlayStation Move (nee Arc) controller at the GDC last week, it came along with some impressive promises: it would only cost developers 2MB of system memory (out of 256MB on offer) and it would respond to user inputs within a single frame of animation. Our own experiences with the thing felt a bit more laggy, and now Eurogamer is echoing those impressions and putting a bit of science behind them courtesy of a 60fps Kodak Zi6 camcorder. By filming the controllers and their on-screen representation, the site’s tireless statisticians calculated an actual lag (including that of the display) of 113ms — closer to 10 6.78 frames if a game is running at 60fps. Naturally much of this is thanks to the rendering of the result and not just the Move, but according to a 2008 GamaSutra test we found (linked as “More Coverage” below), the controller lag from the standard PS3 controller varies widely from game to game, with GTA IV measured at 166ms — almost 50 percent higher than seen by the Move. So, while we can’t draw too many conclusions about this single-game test from GDC, we can give a little advice: get back to beating up some underworldian goons as Kratos and don’t worry about it.

PlayStation Move controller lag detected, analyzed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Move ad pulls no motion-controlled punches against Wii, Project Natal

Sony’s VP of Realistic Movements Kevin Butler (boy, does that guy have a large business card) is at it again, this time in a video ad for the PlayStation Move. He’s back from the future to thank us all for the success of the motion control device, and make a few jabs towards Nintendo and Microsoft for their efforts. Here’s a few choice quotes.

  • “Because real boxers don’t hit like this [flails arms exasperatingly]”
  • “It’s also got what we in the future call buttons, which turn out to be pretty important to those handful of millions of people who enjoy playing shooters, platformers, well, anything that doesn’t involve catching a big red ball.”
  • “C’mon, who wants to pretend their hand is a gun. What is this, third grade? Pew, pew, pew.”

Check out the futuristic — or now-eristic, rather — commercial after the break. And if you ask, sorry, we still wouldn’t bet on Kansas City in six.

Continue reading PlayStation Move ad pulls no motion-controlled punches against Wii, Project Natal

PlayStation Move ad pulls no motion-controlled punches against Wii, Project Natal originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pogoplug now streaming to Xbox 360 and PS3, handling offsite backups

It’s been a long and painful four months since Pogoplug introduced its second generation NAS-ifier, but those who’ve been holding out for additional functionality can finally buy in. In an effort to cater to these so-called “gamers,” the company has enabled its device to stream multimedia content directly to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game consoles; users will be able to access, share and stream media directly to their console from any local or remotely located Pogoplug, and if all goes well, your console should actually see the drives connected to the Pogoplug and the contents of other shared Pogoplugs automatically. In related news, the unit is also now capable of pushing out offsite backups through a new version of Active Copy (shown above), so all that’s left to do is hop online and suck down that tasty firmware update that should be waiting. Enjoy!

Continue reading Pogoplug now streaming to Xbox 360 and PS3, handling offsite backups

Pogoplug now streaming to Xbox 360 and PS3, handling offsite backups originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget Show returns this Saturday, March 20th with Nicholas Negroponte and PlayStation Move!

It’s that time again — the Engadget Show returns this Saturday, March 20th at 5pm! We’ll be joined by Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the MIT Media Lab and OLPC project for what’s sure to be a rousing conversation. What’s more, we’ll have Joystiq’s Chris Grant on hand and Sony’s Senior Researcher Dr. Richard Marks will be showing off the PlayStation Move… and we’ll be letting some lucky audience members demo it live on the show! You’ll be meeting our new investigative correspondent Rick Karr and we’ll have more of the classic Engadget Show shenanigans that you love so much. You can also look forward to some chiptune goodness from minusbaby, as well as visuals from notendo. We’ll be streaming the whole thing direct to you via the internet, but we’ll be doing some major giveaways at the live show only, so make the trek and join us at The Times Center in person if you can. If for some reason you live in not-New York, hit up the stream and tweet comments directly to the show!

The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are — as always — free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served… so get there early! Here’s all the info you need:

  • There is no admission fee — tickets are completely free
  • The event is all ages
  • Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 2:30PM on Saturday, doors will open for seating at 4:30PM, and the show begins at 5PM
  • You cannot collect tickets for friends or family — anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket
  • Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we’re full, we’re full
  • The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break)
  • The show length is around an hour

Sprint is also offering 50 guaranteed tickets to the Engadget Show taping to the first 50 entrants who text “ENGADGET” to 467467 or enter online. Standard text messaging rates apply. Click here for the Official Rules and see how to enter online.

If you’re a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we’ll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com.

Subscribe to the Show:

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Continue reading The Engadget Show returns this Saturday, March 20th with Nicholas Negroponte and PlayStation Move!

The Engadget Show returns this Saturday, March 20th with Nicholas Negroponte and PlayStation Move! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Move requires only 2MB of RAM, developers breathe sigh of relief

While it’s a crying shame that Sony’s PlayStation Move won’t have full four-player support, at least the technology is efficient; our buddies at Joystiq are reporting that the camera-and-wand based motion control game system will only minimally impact game performance. Quizzing Sony’s David Coombes, they found out that the advanced image processing required to make sense of your wild, flailing movements will take only 1-2 MB of RAM. Of course, when you consider that the PS3 has only 256MB of fast XDR memory to begin with, that 2MB isn’t as “insignificant” as Sony would have you believe, but coupled with the company’s claim that the whole shebang takes “under a frame” of the Cell CPU’s processing time, we’re inclined to think it won’t be much of an issue for the end user. Assuming they fix that nasty lag, of course. Check out our full PlayStation Move guide for more details.

PlayStation Move requires only 2MB of RAM, developers breathe sigh of relief originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joystiq and Sony VP Scott Rohde talk PlayStation Move

So, we brought you along for the big reveal and some playtesting, and even presented you with this handy guide just in case you had any more questions. You still haven’t got enough of Sony’s new motion controller? You’re going to want to hop on over to Joystiq for an enjoyable interview with Sony Worldwide Studios VP Scott Rohde where he gets down to brass tacks and answers questions involving the ins and outs of Move game distro, whether the preponderance of “shovelware” mini-game collections will help or hurt the platform, and the fate of the DualShock controller. It’s a wild ride, indeed. So why are you still here?

Joystiq and Sony VP Scott Rohde talk PlayStation Move originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Move will offer limited four player support

So you do your research, you read up on everything important about the PS3’s new Move controller, and you consider yourself well prepared for a future of wild merrymaking and multiplayer gaming parties. And then you find out you can’t use four full sets of controllers with your console. As it turns out, the PS3’s Bluetooth module is only fit to address up to seven wireless devices at a time, which poses something of a puzzler when you consider that you need a pair of Move controllers (or a Move plus a sub-controller) to get your money’s worth and four times two is, well, a number greater than seven. Perturbed by this, Gizmodo contacted Sony for an official response and the news gets even worse:

“Four PlayStation Move controllers can connect to a PS3 at one time (or two PlayStation Move Controllers and 2 PlayStation Move sub-controllers).”

That basically means you can have the full Move experience with only one friend, or you can share out the wands and have that tiny bit less fun with a quartet. Not a problem for the misanthropes out there — or most people really — but an important limitation to be aware of, nonetheless.

PlayStation Move will offer limited four player support originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NPD: Xbox 360 wins US sales war in a downbeat February

The cosmos must clearly have approved of Microsoft’s actions over this past month, as today we’re hearing the Xbox 360 broke out of its competitive sales funk to claim the title of “month’s best-selling console” … for the first time in two years. Redmond’s own Aaron Greenberg describes it as the best February in the console’s history, with 422,000 units sold outshining the consistently popular Wii (397,900) and the resurgent PS3 (360,100 consoles shifted, which was a 30 percent improvement year-on-year). In spite of the happy campers in Redmond and Tokyo, the overall numbers for the games industry were down 15 percent on 2009’s revenues, indicating our collective gaming appetite is starting to dry up. Good thing we’ve got all those motion-sensing accessories coming up to reignite our fire.

NPD: Xbox 360 wins US sales war in a downbeat February originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darkworks shows off TriOviz for Games 2D-to-3D SDK, we get a good look

Darkworks introduced its TriOviz for Games SDK yesterday during GDC, and while TriOviz technology has been around for years in Hollywood, it wasn’t until today that this same technology debuted for console and PC titles. Essentially, this software wrapper enables standard 2D video games to be viewed in 3D on a traditional 2D display, and we were able to sneak an exclusive look at the technology today at the company’s meeting room. We were shown a European version of Batman: Arkham Asylum on Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and we were given a set of specialized glasses (which were passive, unlike NVIDIA’s active-shutter 3D Vision specs) in order to enjoy the effect. So, how was it? In a word or two, not bad. It obviously wasn’t perfect, but you have to realize just how cheap of a solution this is for the consumer to implement. All that’s required is a set of special glasses, but given that these can be distributed in paper-frames form, you could easily find a set for a couple of bucks (at most), if not bundled in for free with future games. Users won’t need to purchase any additional hardware whatsoever, and what they’ll get is a deeper, more immersive image in return.

We could very clearly see the 3D effect, and even though it was subtle, it definitely enhanced our experience. We noticed a minor bit of blurring and ghosting during just a few scenes, but when you consider that this doesn’t actually change the underlying code in existing 2D games (that’s the cue for developers to breathe a sigh of relief), we didn’t feel that these minor quirks were unreasonable. The other interesting aspect is just how clear the image remained for onlookers that didn’t have 3D glasses on; we noticed slight image doubling at specific points, but it’s not something we simply couldn’t look at without acquiring a headache.

More after the break…

Continue reading Darkworks shows off TriOviz for Games 2D-to-3D SDK, we get a good look

Darkworks shows off TriOviz for Games 2D-to-3D SDK, we get a good look originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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