PlayStation 3 consoles get free shooter game

Sony on Wednesday launched a shooter title PlayStation 3 (PS3) users can play in an unprecedented blend of hard-core console and free casual gaming.

'No Man's Land' released on PlayStation Home network was billed by the Japanese entertainment and consumer electronics giant as a 'first-of-its-kind' free-to-play multiperson shooter for videogame consoles.

Veteran developer VEEMEE tailored the game to capitalize on strengths of PS3 consoles and the Home network that is an online arena for players.

'VEEMEE saw a unique opportunity with PlayStation Home to evolve gaming by blending the immersive game play endemic to AAA games with the social and 'freemium' aspects of casual games,' Sony said in a blog post.

Blockbuster console titles typically launch priced about $60 a copy while casual games played on smartphones, tablets or online social networks tend to be free with revenue generated by advertising or sales of in-game items or bonuses.

'No Man's Land' is set in a post-apocalyptic United States and lets players for teams to compete online in 'time-tested kill-everything-that moves' death matches or to see who can salvage the most resources from the hostile land.

'Race through urban wastelands where chaos and disorder are ever-present, dodging enemy fire and exacting revenge on roaming bands of death-addicted warriors in a world gone mad,' VEEMEE said in an online description of the game.

'Trust no one because it's not about who's right, it's about who's left.'

Sony earlier this year began merging blockbuster console title action and popular free-to-play style gaming in its online community for PS3 users.

Sony Computer Entertainment America in March rolled out 'Cutthroats: Battle for Black Powder Cove,' which lets as many as 24 people at a time serve as gunners or captains of pirate ships out to sink one another in timed sessions.

'We truly think they are going to revolutionize freemium games on consoles,' PS Home senior business manager Chris Mahoney told AFP at the time.

The videogame industry has been shaken up in recent years by the exploding popularity of online games that are free to play.

'When we look at gaming, we see hard-core experiences on one side of the spectrum and a more casual side with free-to-play type games,' Mahoney said.

'We think that there is an area in between where you can blend together the best of both worlds.'



This news article is brought to you by HAPPINESS - where latest news are our top priority.

Mike Tyson to make comeback as video game wrestler

Iron Mike Tyson is to relive his guest appearance at Wrestlemania XIV with a slot on the roster of grappling game WWE '13, due October 30 in North America.

The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game is planned as a celebration of contemporary ring stars and the WWF's late 90s Attitude Era, and Tyson is being offered as a pre-order bonus.

Tyson's presence during the 1998 Wrestlemania XIV event as a hands-on umpire came at a time when 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was about to take over from Shawn Michaels as reigning champion and superstar performer.

It was a pivotal moment in WWF (now WWE) history and therefore of importance to the WWE '13 game, which seeks to unite modern and historical periods. Basketball title NBA 2K11 was extremely well received, having done something similar with its dynamic retrospective on Michael Jordan's career.

Current WWE champ CM Punk is to be WWE '13's cover athlete, while Steve Austin, the Undertaker, Mankind and Chris Jericho are among confirmed participants whose involvement with the WWE and WWF businesses span a 20-year period.

Tyson's other video game manifestations have included Mike Tyson's Punch Out, Fight Night Round 4 and, unofficially, as an aggressive (and hastily re-named) pugilist in Street Fighter II and its sequels.

Mike Tyson in WWE 13 Official Trailer: youtu.be/e9YGmoOH5FE
Mike Tyson in WWE 13 Official Trailer [sous-titres Française]: youtu.be/ekkmqEmH0sQ



This article is brought to you by BUY A COMPUTER.

Zynga mines arcade games with "Ruby Blast"

Zynga on Tuesday sought to mine the popularity of another arcade style social game with the release of 'Ruby Blast' for play at Facebook or at the company's online arena.

The new title builds on the success of 'Bubble Safari,' which rocketed to popularity on Facebook after its launch in May.

'Bubble Safari' and Zynga virtual poker game 'Texas HoldEm' were the most played games at Facebook on a daily basis, according to figures from industry tracker AppData.

'Ruby Blast' was the first collaboration between Zynga's studios in Seattle and Beijing.

'Being here in Seattle adds to the creative vision of the game and our team comes from the core videogame industry,' said Zynga Seattle design director Jonathan Grant.

'On the Beijing side they have been awesome at the execution of development and a lot of the nitty-gritty.'

Backgrounds of those on the game's team ranged from having worked on blockbuster videogames such as 'Halo' to making casual games for moms or directing an animated film set for release later this year.

'We came up with a really great combination of ideas for an overall unique experience that has really compelling game play,' Grant said.

'Ruby is a pretty unique character with some quirks unlike any other character in social games.'

The game character is Ruby Stone, described as an 'awesome international intrepid archaeologist' who travels the world digging up treasures and surmounting obstacles.

Play is tried-and-true 'match-three' style where beating levels and scoring points depends on quickly clicking on clusters of three or more virtual gems of the same color.

'We wanted the game to be simple and approachable; something my mom could play,' Grant said. 'It is all about scoring points. The wrinkle is that you have 40 seconds to play.'

Drilling down shrewdly can unearth extra time or other 'power-ups' such as extra seconds of play or blazing meteors or cherry bombs that blast away stones.

Social features in the game include a leader board that ranks friends according to high scores, with prizes awarded weekly to those in the top three positions.

Zynga planned to enable friends to compete against one another in real time.

'Ruby Blast' is the first Zynga game optimized to take advantage of graphics capabilities of Adobe Flash 11 Player to add rich animation scenes to play.

'It will feel new to players with some innovation, cool social features and a look and feel unlike anything out there on Facebook now,' Grant said.

The game was rolled out in 15 languages and could be found online at apps.facebook.com/rubyblast or at zynga.com.



This news article is brought to you by BEING PLUS SIZE WOMEN - where latest news are our top priority.

Zynga Rolls Out New Facebook Game: 'Ruby Blast'

Zynga released its newest arcade title for Facebook Tuesday. Ruby Blast is a match-three game that invites players to excavate a gem mine to beat their friends' high scores.

[More from Mashable: 100 Billion Popped Bubbles Later: Zynga's Bubble Safari Tops Facebook Gaming Chart]

This is Zynga's third foray into the arcade genre, and it helps them broaden their reach beyond the popular Ville games that are their bread and butter. Their first arcade release, Bubble Safari, is now the top game on Facebook's App Store with 100 million installs.

Ruby Blast is the first game from the Zynga Seattle studios, and their take on the oft-reinvented match-three subgenre of puzzle games. Notable examples already exist, such as Bejeweled (and Ruby Blast feels similar to that title's 'Diamond Mine' mode on iOS devices), Meteos and Puzzle Quest. Players not only have to match groups of three or more like colors, but use them to dig deeper into a mine, extending the game clock and finding gems that boost their level.

[More from Mashable: Zynga Stock Drops Below $5 - Facebook Gaming Decline to Blame? [POLL]]

But Jonathan Grant, design director at Zynga Seattle, said they wanted 'an experience that was familiar to players but also redefined it.'

'We wanted it playable by as many people as possible,' Grant said. 'My grandma can play. As she improves and gains experience, she still has new wrinkles to master.'

Grant said Ruby Blast also differentiates itself by bringing high-level graphics to Facebook. The game uses Adobe's Flash 11 player to bring an extra visual pop to the game's variety of power ups.

There is also a unique social hook to Ruby Blast: Photos of friends also playing the game appear in the stacks of gems. Blow them up for a bonus in the game. Players also get bonuses for beating the high scores of their friends, and appearing at the top of their social leaderboard.

The game still has touches of Zynga's freemium backbone. If you're running low on gems, which power special moves, more can be purchased from the app.

What do you think of Zynga's new expansions into the arcade category? Let us know in the comments.

This story originally published on Mashable here.



This news article is brought to you by GIFTS - where latest news are our top priority.

Rumors and speculation have been flying since Microsoft announced last week that it was hosting a press conference in Los Angeles on Monday, and that might be exactly what the Redmond-based company was hoping for. Early well-sourced reports indicated that a Microsoft-branded tablet is on tap for the event, and a number of subsequent reports have said much of the same. TechCrunch later reported that we should expect a Barnes & Noble collaboration, but B&N squashed that rumor relatively quickly. Next up from the rumor mill? An "Xbox Surface" tablet with a 7-inch display, an ARM based TI processor, full HD 1080p-output and a 28-nanometer AMD graphics processor. An an interesting side note, Microsoft insider "MS Nerd" reported earlier this year that Microsoft would unveil an ARM-based "Xbox Lite" in the near future ahead of a full-fledged next-generation Xbox console, and this very well could be the device his sources were referring to. The full spec sheet for the purported tablet, which was published Monday by Shifted2u, follows below.



[Via CNET]

Read

Related stories

This article is brought to you by BUY AFFORDABLE COMPUTERS.

Even though Microsoft confirmed that we wouldn't see it, some fans were still disappointed the company didn't reveal details regarding its next-generation Xbox gaming console at this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo. A newly leaked 56-page document detailing the "Xbox 720" may ease those frustrations, however. The document, which appears to be from mid-2010, presents a road map for the future of the Xbox platform through 2015.

Microsoft will reportedly release the next-generation system during the 2013 holiday season as previously reported, as part of a $299 bundle with new Kinect hardware. The software giant is looking to sell more than 100 million units during the console's 10-year life cycle.

The Xbox 720 will include support for Blu-ray, true 1080p and native 3D output, and will be six times more powerful than the current Xbox. At the time this document was created, the company was planning to use six to eight 2GHz ARM/x86 cores, with two additional ARM/x86 cores that would power the console's operating system and three PowerPC cores for backward-compatibility.

The documents suggest that Microsoft is currently working on a new Kinect accessory as well that will be more accurate, with dedicated hardware processing and support for four-player tracking. Other improvements include a higher quality RGB camera, stereo imaging and improved voice recognition.



Microsoft is also apparently planning to offer a head-mounted display device similar to Google's Project Glass. The hands-free glasses will be able to connect to Xbox Live and deliver real-time information on people, places and objects. The product is referred to as both "Kinect Glasses" and "Fortaleza Glasses," and is scheduled for a 2014 release according to the leak.

The information was originally posted on Scribed, and while there is no way to prove its authenticity, it has since been removed at the request of Covington & Burling, a law firm that represents Microsoft.

[Via NeoGAF]

Related stories

This article is brought to you by CHEAP COMPUTERS.

Microsoft announced this past April that it acquired a 17% stake in a newly-formed Barnes & Noble subsidiary that will focus on Nook tablets and eReaders. What the company may not have mentioned at the time is that the new partnership might also yield a line of Microsoft-branded tablets. Microsoft sent out a last-minute invitation to a press conference late last week, and multiple subsequent reports have suggested that this event will see Microsoft unveil a new line of own-brand tablets powered by Windows RT. According to a recent report from TechCrunch, however, the Redmond-based company plans to take the wraps off a Barnes & Noble joint effort. The site's sources claim the new tablet will be an eReader-media tablet combo, and it will focus on entertainment thanks to the inclusion of Xbox Live streaming support. Microsoft's event begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, 3:30 p.m. Pacific, and BGR will be on hand to cover the press conference live.

Read

Related stories

This news article is brought to you by CLEANING-TIPS - where latest news are our top priority.

Russians design blockbuster video games in Siberia

In a decrepit building in the wild woodlands of Siberia, young designers work on an online video game that will soon hit the global market.

They work for Alawar Entertainment -- a Russian company headquartered in the Siberian town of Akademgorodok, a leafy place created in Soviet times outside Siberia's main urban centre of Novosibirsk to nurture academics.

Alawar Entertainment may be far from the world's best-known game manufacturers in Europe and the United States but it is the creator of such best-selling games as 'Farm Frenzy', 'The Treasures of Montezuma', and 'Robber Rabbits'.

While not as famous as Tetris -- created in the 1980s by Russian mathematician Alexey Pazhitnov -- Alawar's games have scored over 50 million downloads from Apple Store and Android Market.

A decision to go global rather than focus on the national market led to Alawar's success at its launch in the mid-1990s, when Russia was languishing in a devastating economic crisis that followed the Soviet empire's collapse.

'I was a student in Novosibirsk and with my friends we loved playing video games,' recounted Alexander Lyskovsky, Alawar's 35-year-old chief executive whose initial job was tsunami modelling.

Few Russians then had a personal computer, he said, but 'there was one in the university and we sat there every night to play.'

They got their calling when a professor suggested they make a case study of video games and thanks to an oil businessman's sponsorship soon produced their first game for the PC.

But Russia was hit by a devastating economic crisis in 1998 which forced it to devalue the ruble.

Lyskovsky and his friends opted to create Internet-based video games -- known as casual games -- to be sold in the United States for safe American currency rather than for depreciating Russian rubles.

Soon Alawar won international recognition and expanded its operations after attracting investment from Almaz Capital, a venture company based in Russia and the USA and specialising in ex-Soviet countries.

With an annual turnover of tens of millions of dollars, Alawar today has six studios throughout Russia and in Ukraine and also distributes hundreds of games from other Russian and foreign companies in the United States and Europe.

Akademgorodok -- which in Russian translates as 'little academic town' -- may seem an unlikely location for a multinational technology firm, with the regional centre Novosibirsk about a four-hour flight from Moscow.

Some 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Novosibirsk itself and built in the middle of the forest, Akademgorodok has a bucolic feel on the edge of the man-made Ob reservoir with the wind rustling in the pine trees.

Its researchers and academics led a somewhat privileged existence in Soviet times with better food and services than the rest of the population and the town earned a reputation for being relatively free thinking.

It fell on hard times after the collapse of the Soviet Union when the elite research system lost much of its state funding. However, the creation of venture capital-funded enterprises like Alawar has led to a revival and earned Akedamgorodok the nickname 'Silicon Forest'.

Lyskovsky said there were huge advantages in running a business in Russia and especially Siberia, noting quality education and a cheap workforce.

'The farther away you go from Moscow, wages become more normal and one can create for reasonable money quality products,' which would cost much more if made in Europe, he said.

As the market for smartphones and tablet computers grows steadily, Alawar hopes to strengthen its positions at home and covets Asian and Latin American markets.

A recent study by J'son & Partners, a Russian consulting firm, said that in 2011 the global market for online games amounted to $20.2 billion and is expected to reach $26.7 billion dollars by 2013.

Russia's share of the US-dominated global market is currently only three percent.

But as online games is a profitable segment of the Internet business in Russia, the Russian market is to see rapid growth, the study suggested -- to $1 billion dollars in 2013 against $668 million in 2011.



This news article is brought to you by PHOTOGRAPHY AS ART - where latest news are our top priority.

Report: 125 million mobile gamers in US & UK, 50-50 gender split

A survey commisioned by PopCap Games (Bejeweled, Peggle, Plants vs Zombies) has found that women outnumber men when it comes to playing games on phones and on tablets, whereas men tend to use both devices, and both genders display equal interest overall.

Mobile gamers in the US and UK now number 125 million and are on average 39.5 years old (39.3 in 2011), says the report compiled by the Information Solutions Group.

A further 16% are 55 or over, and those who use tablets only for their mobile gaming are, on average, just shy of 45 years old.

Mobile gaming is the biggest deal to 25-34 year olds, attracting 28% of male mobile gamers and 27% of female mobile gamers, but it's in the next stratum up that the biggest disparity is found: 19% of male players were 35-44 as opposed to 23% of females.

Tellingly for console manufacturers Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, mobile gamers are also least likely to pick up a dedicated handheld console.

A third of gaming time goes to phones (46% including tablets), just less than a third to play via desktop or laptop computers, but only 18% of time went on a game console and a minute 4% was spent with other handheld games machines.

That illuminates recent decisions by all three console makers to broaden the scope of their home devices. Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 now have access to a variety of film, TV, and music applications, while the Nintendo 3DS boasts a glasses-free 3D display, and the Wii U trades on a tablet-style controller that can liberate the family TV for other uses.

Full survey (PDF file): infosolutionsgroup.com/popcapmobile2012.pdf



This news article is brought to you by ENHANCEMENT - where latest news are our top priority.

Leaked Documents Reveal Microsoft's Next Xbox [VIDEO]

This article is brought to you by CHEAP COMPUTERS.

Watery Physics in 'Angry Birds Seasons' Update Takes You to 'Piglantis' [VIDEO]

This news article is brought to you by AFFIRMATIONS - where latest news are our top priority.

CBS buys TV pilot based on Zynga's "Draw Something"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CBS television on Friday said it has acquired rights to produce a pilot TV program based on the Web-based game 'Draw Something' from Zynga Inc, the San Francisco-based creator of popular 'Farmville.'

The pictionary-style game has two players taking turns drawing pictures of words that are then guessed-upon by a partner.

On the TV show, which also is tentatively titled 'Draw Something,' teams of celebrities and everyday players will compete for money, and viewers can play at home for prizes.

Financial details of the pilot pickup were undisclosed, and no air date has been set.

A star turn in a network TV show would cap a swift rise for a game launched just earlier this year by struggling New York game studio OMGPOP.

Zynga paid $183 million to acquire OMGPOP in March after Draw Something became an overnight hit among smartphone and tablet users. Zynga declined to comment.

The show will be produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions, Embassy Row and Sony Pictures Television. TV personality Seacrest will be an executive producer, along with Michael Davis and Adam Sher.

(Reporting By Ron Grover, Writing by Bob Tourtellotte and Gerry Shih; Editing by Bernard Orr)



This news article is brought to you by SEXUAL HEALTH - where latest news are our top priority.

SEC questioned Facebook about Zynga, mobile

NEW YORK (AP) - As Facebook's much-anticipated public stock offering approached, federal regulators wanted to know more about the revenue it gets from mobile devices, its $1 billion deal to buy Instagram and the control CEO Mark Zuckerberg has over the company.

Documents filed Friday show the back-and-forth the social-networking company had with the Securities and Exchange Commission on a variety of issues. As all companies do, Facebook Inc. amended its regulatory documents several times ahead of its initial public offering of stock. But the communications leading to those changes weren't public until now.

Facebook disclosed its letters with the SEC in regulatory filings Friday. The filings are a usual part of the IPO process. The letters are typically confidential until about 30 days following an IPO. Facebook's IPO took place May 17.

The communications in the months leading to Facebook's IPO have received greater scrutiny in part because of investor concerns about the company's ability to make money from its growing mobile audience. Facebook's stock price has lost more than a fifth of its value since the IPO. Many analysts, however, hold positive long-term opinions.

Facebook faces more than 40 lawsuits over the IPO. The lawsuits allege that analysts at the large underwriting investment banks cut their second-quarter and full-year forecasts for Facebook just before the IPO and told only a handful of clients. Facebook has called the lawsuits 'without merit.'

In a separate filing Friday, the company sought to consolidate the lawsuits in New York and laid the groundwork for its case, arguing that it did not violate any rules and followed 'customary practices' throughout the process. They also suggest that trading problems at the Nasdaq Stock Market contributed to the stock price drop.

Much of the SEC's questions asked Facebook to clarify or explain things better. In its first letter in February, the SEC asked Facebook what it would mean if more of its users accessed the site through mobile devices rather than traditional computers. The SEC wanted Facebook to fully address 'the potential consequences to your revenue and financial results rather than just stating that they 'may be negatively affected.''

At first, Facebook said that users 'could' decide to access the site on mobile devices. The SEC responded that they already do.

That led Facebook to amend its documents on May 9 - the week before the IPO. There, Facebook disclosed that the number of users logging in on mobile devices was growing faster than revenue, largely because it showed relatively few ads on mobile devices. The company's ability to make money from its mobile users has been one of the main concerns investors have and part of the reason Facebook's stock price has fallen.

In another letter, the SEC wanted to know how much of Facebook's $1 billion price for the photo-sharing app Instagram would be in stock rather than cash. The answer: $300 million in cash plus about 23 million shares. Based on Facebook's current stock price, the deal is now worth about $960 million.

Regulators also wanted to know about Zuckerberg's ability to designate a successor given that the Facebook co-founder has more than half of the company's voting rights. Facebook replied that Zuckerberg had no power to decide who would be the next CEO or get his voting rights when he dies. But, like all other shareholders, he is able to designate people who will receive his stocks in the event of his death.

The SEC asked Facebook about online game company Zynga Inc. because it relies heavily on revenue from the game company. In April, the SEC wanted Facebook to disclose that 7 percent of its revenue last year came from ads shown to users using Zynga apps on Facebook, while another 12 percent came from payments processing fees related to Zynga's sale of virtual goods and direct advertising purchased by Zynga. Facebook added the information to a subsequent filing.

On an upbeat note, Facebook's stock gained value for the week for the first time. The stock climbed $1.72, or 6.1 percent, to close at $30.01 on Friday. That's up nearly 11 percent for the week, though it's still down 21 percent from its IPO price of $38.

'Diablo III' tops list of video game sales in May

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. retail sales of video-game hardware, software and accessories fell for a sixth consecutive month in May.

According to market tracker NPD Group, sales fell 28 percent from a year earlier to $517 million. The study tracks sales of new physical products - about 50 percent to 60 percent of the total spending. Excluded are sales of used games and rentals as well as digital and social-network spending.

Sales of console and portable software - the video games themselves - fell 32 percent from a year earlier to $255 million, while sales of hardware fell 39 percent to $139 million. That was offset partly by a 7 percent increase in sales of accessories, to $122 million.

NPD also listed the top-selling games in May and said it was the first time since July 2010 that a PC-only game was a top seller for the month.

The top 10 are:

1. 'Diablo III' for PCs, Activision Blizzard Inc.

2. 'Max Payne 3' for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PCs, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.

3. 'Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier' for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Ubisoft Group.

4. 'Prototype 2' for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Activision Blizzard Inc.

5. 'NBA 2K12' for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, PCs, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.

6. 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3' for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PCs, Activision Blizzard Inc.

7. 'Sniper Elite V2' for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, 505 Games

8. 'Battlefield 3' for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PCs, Electronic Arts Inc.

9. 'Dragon's Dogma' for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Capcom USA

10. 'Just Dance 3' for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Ubisoft Group.

Microsoft Corp. makes the Xbox 360, Sony Corp. makes the PlayStation devices and Nintendo Co. makes the Wii.



This article is brought to you by CHEAP COMPUTERS.

GameStop shares fall as video game sales slide

BOSTON (AP) - Shares of GameStop Corp. fell to their lowest level in nearly two-and-half years on Friday after an industry report showed a sharp decline in video game sales last month.

THE SPARK: A report released after markets closed Thursday by market tracker NPD Group said that U.S. retail sales of video-game hardware, software and accessories fell 28 percent in May to $517 million. It was the sixth straight month of decline.

Sales of console and portable software - the video games themselves - fell 32 percent from a year earlier to $255 million, while sales of hardware fell 39 percent to $139 million. That was offset partly by a 7 percent increase in sales of accessories, to $122 million.

THE BIG PICTURE: GameStop, based in Grapevine, Texas, is the world's largest video game retailer, so it's vulnerable to the industry wide downturn documented in the recent monthly reports by NPD.

Last month, GameStop reported a 10 percent decline in first-quarter earnings as customer traffic in its stores slowed. Its sales outlook also disappointed Wall Street. The company said sales of used, mobile and digital products fell slightly, while sales of new games and systems dropped more than expected.

SHARE ACTION: Shares of GameStop fell 42 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $17.32 in morning trading. Earlier in the session, the stock traded as low as $17.11. That's the lowest level since February 2010. The stock hit a 52-week high of $27.80 last July.



This news article is brought to you by CRUISING - where latest news are our top priority.

Microsoft and Sony did not debut their next-generation gaming consoles at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles last week, but two publishers teased upcoming titles that seemed destined for the future gaming systems. Given that neither company has announced their upcoming consoles, Ubisoft and Lucas Arts did not admit that their titles, Watch Dogs and Star Wars 1313, were indeed headed for next-generation consoles; according to The Guardian, both companies claimed the games were operating on "high-end PCs." Both titles, nonetheless, may give us a glimpse of what's coming in Microsoft and Sony's upcoming consoles.

Ubisoft's upcoming Watch Dogs game is set in Chicago and centers on the player's ability to hack into various electronic systems, either to obtain, control or destroy information. Based on what Ubisoft displayed, the next generation of consoles could allow developers to create ultra-realistic cities, which can be populated by hundreds of AI-controlled characters that are able to interact with players.

LucasArts also demoed its Star Wars 1313 game, and while it is still in an early stage of development, the game featured stunning high-quality, photo-realistic graphics. The development team used advanced motion capture technology to create computer-generated characters that looked more human than those found in today's top titles. "The next generation of platforms should banish that wooden, robotic, dead-eyed ambience that games characters routinely possess at the moment," The Guardian's Steve Boxer noted.

Based on these two games, whose trailers follow below, it is clear that the next generation of gaming consoles will push the boundaries of not just the look and feel of gaming, but of storytelling as well.





Read

Related stories

This news article is brought to you by ECONOMY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.

Microsoft reaches into TV market with Xbox Live ads

Microsoft on Thursday unveiled ads for its popular Xbox Live online entertainment service that combine the interactivity of the Internet with old-school television viewing.

The technology colossus behind Xbox 360 videogame consoles said that Toyota, Unilever, and Samsung Mobile USA are developing campaigns tailored for 'NUads' that will be rolled out at Xbox Live in three months or so.

'NUads marks the beginning of a new era for TV advertising,' said Xbox Live entertainment and advertising general manager Ross Honey.

'It delivers the one thing traditional TV advertising is missing - engagement.'

Viewers of NUads can provide feedback, such as taking surveys or answering questions, using button-and-toggle controllers or motion or voice control capabilities of Kinect accessories for Xbox 360 consoles.

Advertisers get the potentially insightful data, plus generalized demographic information about respondents.

'We developed NUads to breathe new life into the standard 30-second spot,' Honey said. 'With NUads, brands can get real-time feedback from audiences, making TV advertising actionable for the first time.'

Microsoft expected to charge premium prices for the Internet age television ads. Global revenue from television advertising this year will top $187 billion and climb in the years ahead, according to market trackers.

Microsoft this month stepped up its quest to be at the heart of home entertainment by syncing Xbox 360 consoles to smartphones and tablets while adding more blockbuster content.

Microsoft unveiled Xbox SmartGlass software for linking the world's leading consoles to iPhones, iPads, Android-powered gadgets and, of course, devices powered by the firm's new Windows 8 operating system.

SmartGlass capitalizes on the growing popularity of using Xbox Live to stream movies, music and other entertainment from the Internet.

The application lets people start watching a film on a tablet and then easily switch to home television screens without breaking continuity, a demonstration showed.

After a film routes to a television, the tablet automatically begins displaying supplementary information about actors or other topics related to the movie being watched.



This news article is brought to you by AUTOMOTIVE - where latest news are our top priority.

Angry Birds plans China theme park, retail outlets

SHANGHAI (AP) - Angry Birds is migrating to China.

Rovio, the Finnish gaming company behind Angry Birds has opened its Shanghai office and outlined plans for activity parks and stores across China, one of its biggest markets.

Angry Birds, currently the second most popular paid iPhone app, has a huge fan base in China, with much merchandise available in stores and online but most of it pirated.

The makers of the game, which features bubbly headed peevish birds attacking their enemies, the pigs, hopes it will be able to convert that popularity into legitimate sales.

'We expect to be more Chinese than the Chinese people, and we will add more and Chinese cultural elements to our products,' Peter Vesterbacka, founder of 'Angry Birds,' said Thursday.

Rovio's initiatives so far in China have included moon cakes for the mid-Autumn Festival. It is opening stores in Shanghai and Beijing next month and is building an activity park in Shanghai's Tongji University.

It also plans a theme park in the nearby city of Haining, similar to its Angry Birds Land at Finland's Sarkanniemi Amusement Park.



This news article is brought to you by ACCOUNTING - where latest news are our top priority.

Angry Birds Join NFL's Eagles in First Team Partnership

The video above shows a cartoon of Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid introducing some 'very special' new additions to the team. Their names? Red Bird, Bomb Bird, Yellow Bird and 'Big Brother Red Bird' Terence, as well as one more mysterious forthcoming bird.

[More from Mashable: Heat vs. Thunder: The NBA Finals of Twitter [INFOGRAPHIC]]

Confused? Here's the deal: Rovio's hit game Angry Birds has joined with the Eagles in its first partnership with a professional sports team. The deal includes an upcoming Eagles-themed version of the game, social media marketing pushes and Angry Birds themed Jumbotron replays, says a Wall Street Journal report.

According to Ari Roitman, the Eagles' senior vice president of business, partnering with Rovio is a key way for the team to continue making inroads with new fans who have grown up immersed in digital technology, gadgets and social media.

[More from Mashable: 11 Must-Follow Twitter Accounts for the NBA Finals]

"We've got to think about the generation that's coming into the prime years for loyalty -- who are they going to choose and what are they going to choose more importantly?" he told the Journal. "Is it going to be football or another form of entertainment. This is very much a play for that younger generation."

The Eagles are just one of many professional sports teams with avian nicknames and mascots, so don't be surprised to see more partnerships between Rovio and other franchises. Mobile games and sports stars have already proven an effective combination -- Chad Ochocinco, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mike Tyson have all launched successful titles for iOS devices.

Roitman says those were all concepts that helped the Eagles convince Rovio to join their team.

"I think they understand, and this was part of our pitch, that this is a very scalable partnership for them and if it succeeds and we have every confidence it will, this could open a massive door for them to walk right into," he told the Journal.

Do you think mobile games and sports are in fact a potent marketing combination -- or are deals like this one foolhardy? Share you opinion in the comments.

This story originally published on Mashable here.



This article is brought to you by BUY AFFORDABLE COMPUTERS.

Google+ trends: Zynga sheds users, Euro 2012

Social gaming company Zynga is reportedly "shedding users" while its share price has taken a dive.

"All of Zynga's main 'ville' products have lost a lot of users over the past six months," explains ReadWriteWeb's Richard MacManus in a post on Google+. "None more so than the previous leader in Facebook's gaming category, Cityville, which echoed Zynga's share price drop to fall from over 10 million to below 5 million daily active users."

Google+'ers are also linking to articles about new Zynga games such as the brand new Chinese-language version of Draw Something and Pettington Park.

Plussers are excitedly awaiting the kick off of Wednesday's Euro 2012 football match between Denmark and Portugal while also discussing Tuesday night's 1-1 draw between Poland and Russia.

A video of some of the football tournament's greatest moments in history, recreated with Lego, is also gaining traction on the site.

"#TMITuseday," short for "too much information Tuesday," is trending in fourth place as G+'ers share their deepest darkest dirty secrets.

Recaps of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) opening keynote and reactions to the announcement of the company's brand new slim and light MacBook Pro with Retina Display are still a hot topic of discussion on the social network.

The top 5 most talked about topics on Google+ on June 13 at 7:30 AM GMT are:

1. MacBook Pro
2. #PortraitPoker
3. Zynga
4. #TMITuesday
5. #Euro2012

This news article is brought to you by EXTREME - where latest news are our top priority.

Zynga launched hot Draw Something game in China

Zynga launched 'Draw Something' in China as it moved to get non-English speakers caught up in the craze for the mobile phone game based on representing words with pictures.

The San Francisco-based social games star made an alliance with Sina Weibo to let people play 'Draw Something' at the Chinese social network and added 'new English word choices that are more relevant to the Chinese speaking audience.'

Versions of 'Draw Something' were localized in 12 more languages including French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.

'Draw Something has only been available to players in English since its launch and became a cultural phenomenon across the globe,' said Zynga chief mobile officer David Ko.

'We are excited to be able to give back to our players around the world by offering an experience that is more locally relevant to them,' he continued.

'How do you draw 'caliente'? -- Spanish for hot -- 'We'll soon find out.'

'Draw Something' quickly became a hit after it was released in February by New York City-based OMGPOP, a startup bought by Zynga in March due to the success of the game.

In 'Draw Something,' players use touch-screen strokes to create a pictures of words that friends must figure out to earn points and get turns at drawing.

'Draw Something' is available free at Apple's App Store and at the Google Play online shop for Android smartphones. The Simplified Chinese version of the game is only available at the App Store.

Shares of Zynga, which rose to success with games made for play at leading social network Facebook, plunged Tuesday after an analyst note highlighted concerns about the impact on the firm of a shift to mobile Internet.

Zynga closed down 10.57 percent at $4.98, the first close below $5 since it went public last year at $10.

A report by analysts at Cowen & Co. said Zynga may not get the revenues some people expect if Facebook users gravitate to mobile devices.

'We believe that mobile devices may be siphoning off an accelerating number of gamers from Facebook,' the report said.

'Facebook itself is increasingly being accessed by mobile devices, however it is not possible to play Facebook-native apps through Facebook on a smartphone.'

Zynga makes and operates the online games FarmVille, Mafia Wars CityVille, Words With Friends and Zynga Poker, and gets most of its customers from Facebook.



This news article is brought to you by GAMBLING TIPS, STRATEGIES - where latest news are our top priority.

Zynga shares dive as Facebook game craze wanes

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Zynga Inc shares fell more than 10 percent on Tuesday, extending three months of steady losses, as the social gaming company's user numbers wane and investors worry that the craze for games on Facebook may have passed its peak.

The San Francisco-based creator of 'Farmville' and 'Hidden Chronicles' - Web-based titles played by millions of Facebook users - is having trouble retaining gamers, many of whom are switching to mobile phones for entertainment, analysts say.

The company said on Tuesday that it had expanded its mobile hit Draw Something to 12 additional languages to entice new users worldwide, but that announcement failed to arrest a steep sell-off as shares plunged below $5 for the first time.

Nasdaq shortly before 10 a.m. on Tuesday alerted traders that the stock had tripped a 'circuit breaker' intended to stem precipitous drops in share prices. The ban, which is automatically triggered whenever a stock falls 10 percent or more from a previous day's close, will be in effect through Wednesday.

Zynga's slide came after analysts at Cowen & Co published a report Tuesday predicting that the market for games on Facebook was in an 'accelerating user tailspin.'

'We believe that interest in Facebook-based gaming may have reached a negative inflection point,' Cowen & Co analysts Doug Creutz and Jason Mueller wrote, 'as more casual gamers migrate to mobile platforms.'

Zynga's daily active users dropped 8.2 percent to 54.2 million in May, according to AppData.com, a website that tracks apps on Facebook and mobile platforms.

The slide in user numbers does not necessarily foretell declining financial performance at a company that has been exceptionally adept at squeezing big revenue out of a small number of dedicated, hard-core gamers, analysts caution. But some warn of cloudy forecasts for social gaming more broadly.

'There just hasn't been enough innovation recently for people to get excited about,' said Arvin Bhatia, an analyst at Sterne Agee who has long been bearish on Zynga but raised his rating from earlier this month to neutral from sell.

'There's a novelty factor wearing off in social games,' Bhatia said. 'We see social gaming being around for a while, but the days of high growth are perhaps behind us.'

DRAW SOMETHING

Investors have been expressing concerns about Zynga's organic growth prospects since March, when the company acquired OMGPOP, the Draw Something developer, for $183 million in its biggest deal ever.

The pictionary-like game for smartphones and tablets has been shedding users since the deal, with Appdata.com showing a roughly 30 percent falloff in Facebook-linked players in just the past month.

Zynga looked to bolster the game's user numbers with the announcement on Tuesday of 12 new language releases, including a simplified Chinese version produced in partnership with Sina Corp's Weibo platform.

Other new languages include French, Italian, Japanese and Spanish; Zynga signed up Latin pop stars Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias to help promote the launch.

But it is the partnership with Weibo, a popular microblogging service that resembles both Twitter and Facebook and boasts 300 million registered users in China, that will be most closely watched as it offers the Zynga entree into the potentially lucrative mainland China market.

Zynga, which depends heavily on Facebook as a distribution platform, has been largely unable to enter the China, where Facebook has been blocked for years.

Zynga began testing Chinese waters in 2011, when it partnered with online-messaging company Tencent to roll out a Chinese version of its popular CityVille game. The game's performance has not been disclosed by the company.

STEEP FALL

Zynga has shed nearly $5 billion of its value since December, when it took advantage of the enthusiasm for Facebook and interactive online games with an initial public offering that valued the company at almost $9 billion.

Facebook's messy IPO has further damped investor appetite for consumer Internet stocks, while Zynga has struggled to ignite further growth and insiders have sold more than $500 million of stock.

But the stock still trades at some 20 times forward earnings according to Thomson Reuters data, outshining the 11 to 12 times of old-line gaming firms such as Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts.

Tuesday's short-sale ban came less than a month after Nasdaq halted Zynga trading on May 18, when spooked investors dumped social Internet stock during Facebook's glitchy IPO.

Zynga shares closed down 10.3 percent, or 57 cents, at $4.98 on Tuesday.

(Reporting By Bill Rigby, Gerry Shih, Malathi Nayak and Edwin Chan; Editing by Dave Zimmerman, David Gregorio and Steve Orlofsky)



This article is brought to you by COMPUTERS.

Zynga shares tumble to fresh low on Facebook fears

Shares of the social media games maker Zynga plunged more than 10 percent Tuesday after an analyst note highlighted concerns about the impact on the firm of a shift to mobile Internet.

Zynga, whose games are popular on Facebook, closed down 10.57 percent at $4.98, the first close below $5 since it went public last year at $10.

A report by analysts at Cowen & Co. said Zynga may not get the revenues some people expect if Facebook users gravitate to mobile devices.

'We believe that mobile devices may be siphoning off an accelerating number of gamers from Facebook,' the report said.

'Facebook itself is increasingly being accessed by mobile devices, however it is not possible to play Facebook-native apps through Facebook on a smartphone.'

Zynga makes and operates the online games FarmVille, Mafia Wars CityVille, Words With Friends and Zynga Poker, and gets most of its customers from Facebook.

Facebook shares rose 1.46 percent to $27.40 but remain well below their offering price last month of $38.



This article is brought to you by BUY COMPUTERS.

Zynga shares dive, Nasdaq halts short sales

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Nasdaq halted short-sales of Zynga Inc on Tuesday as shares of the social gaming company plummeted 11.8 percent on increased concerns that the craze for games on Facebook has already passed its peak.

The San Francisco-based producer of games such as 'Farmville' and 'Hidden Chronicles,' played by millions of Facebook users, is suffering as gamers switch to mobile phones for entertainment.

Zynga plunged below $5 a share for the first time Tuesday, reaching a low of $4.78. Nasdaq issued an alert shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday alerting traders that the stock had tripped a 'circuit breaker' prohibiting short sales. The ban will be in effect through Wednesday.

The sell-off came after an analyst at Cowen & Co published a damaging report Tuesday predicting that the market for games on Facebook was in an 'accelerating user tailspin.'

'We believe that interest in Facebook-based gaming may have reached a negative inflection point,' Cowen & Co analyst Doug Creutz wrote, 'as more casual gamers migrate to mobile platforms.'

Zynga's daily active users dropped 8.2 percent to 54.2 million in May, according to App Data that tracks apps on Facebook and mobile platforms.

In December, Zynga took advantage of the enthusiasm for Facebook and interactive online games with an initial public offering that valued the company at $9 billion.

Since then, Facebook's messy IPO has dampened investors' appetite for consumer Internet stocks, while Zynga has struggled to ignite further growth and insiders have sold more than $500 million in stock.

Zynga has shed more than half its value -- some $4 billion worth of capitalization -- since its December IPO at $10 a share. But the stock remains at some 20 times forward earnings according to Thomson Reuters data, outshining the 11 to 12 times of old-line gaming firms such as Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts.

Tuesday's trading disruption came less than a month after Nasdaq halted Zynga trading on May 18, when spooked investors dumped social Internet stock during Facebook's glitchy IPO.

Zynga shares were down 11 percent at $4.93 in afternoon Nasdaq trading.

(Reporting By Bill Rigby, Gerry Shih, Malathi Nayak and Edwin Chan; editing by Dave Zimmerman and David Gregorio)



This news article is brought to you by DISABILITY - where latest news are our top priority.

Zynga shares plummet as Facebook game craze wanes

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Shares of Zynga Inc fell more than 9 percent on Tuesday, to their lowest level since going public last December, on increased concerns that the craze for games on Facebook has already passed its peak.

The San Francisco-based producer of games such as 'Farmville' and 'Hidden Chronicles,' which are played by millions of Facebook users, is suffering as gamers switch to their mobile phones for entertainment.

Zynga's daily active users dropped 8.2 percent to 54.2 million in May, according to App Data that tracks apps on Facebook and mobile platforms.

'We believe that interest in Facebook-based gaming may have reached a negative inflection point,' Cowen & Co analysts wrote in a research report released on Tuesday, 'as more casual gamers migrate to mobile platforms.'

The market for games on Facebook was in an 'accelerating user tailspin,' the analysts wrote.

Zynga took advantage of the enthusiasm for Facebook and interactive online games with an initial public offering in December, which valued the company at $9 billion.

Since then, Facebook's messy IPO has dampened investors' appetite for consumer Internet stocks, while Zynga has struggled to ignite further growth and insiders have sold more than $500 million in stock.

Zynga shares were down 10 percent at $4.94 in afternoon Nasdaq trading.

(Reporting By Bill Rigby, editing by Dave Zimmerman and David Gregorio)



This article is brought to you by BUY A USED COMPUTER.

Facebook slowdown hits Zynga shares hard

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Shares of social game maker Zynga Inc. took a beating again Monday after a report said that Facebook's growth appears to be slowing, especially in the U.S. Zynga gets most of its revenue from games played on Facebook.

THE SPARK: The Wall Street Journal said unique U.S. visitors to Facebook rose 5 percent in April to 158 million, citing tracking firm comScore Inc. ComScore confirmed the data.

That's the slowest growth rate since comScore started tracking the data in 2008.

While Facebook shares also fell slightly in regular trading, they were helped by the announcement that Apple Inc. is integrating Facebook into iPhones and iPads. Most Zynga games, which operate on Adobe's Flash software, are currently unable to play on Apple devices because of Apple's ban on Flash software in its portable devices.

THE BIG PICTURE: Zynga earns revenue from games such as 'FarmVille' and 'Mafia Wars.' It shares 30 percent of its revenue with Facebook for purchases that people make while playing on the social network.

THE ANALYSIS: Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said the slowdown at Facebook should not be surprising given that more than half of Americans use the service already. He said Zynga would eventually benefit by reprogramming its games to work on the Web language HTML5, which will work on iPads and iPhones.

'The stock is getting beat up for no reason,' Pachter said.

SHARE ACTION: Zynga shares fell 50 cents, or 8.3 percent, to $5.55 in regular trading Monday. The shares are down from their all-time high of $15.91 reached in March. They debuted on public markets at $10 in December.



This news article is brought to you by CONTRACEPTIVES - where latest news are our top priority.

Ubisoft confident on big Wii U bet

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot hopes Nintendo's upcoming Wii U will be the first of a line-up of new consoles that will give the video game industry a boost and help reverse the French company's waning fortunes.

Shares of Ubisoft, known for its 'Assassins Creed' franchise and its 'Just Dance' games, are down 20 percent from a year ago but up 8 percent since Jan 1.

Microsoft and Sony have not come out with a new hardware platform in at least six years, excluding the motion-sensing 'Kinect' for the Xbox 360 console.

With Nintendo set to release the Wii U for the holidays, and Microsoft and Sony expected to follow suit in 2013, the industry could benefit via a major sales boost, Guillemot said.

'As soon as (consumers) see good quality products and good experiences that are coming that will bring the industry back to a huge growth, they come back and the share price goes up quickly,' Guillemot said.

He added, 'I think very soon people will be confident in the potential of the video game industry and we will see a big increase in the value of the company.'

Ubisoft has made a bold bet on the first console from Nintendo in six years by launching eight new game titles for the Wii U. Some of the games exclusive to the Wii U include ZombiU, a zombie-themed game and the comedic Rabbids Lands featuring rambunctious creatures the company created.

The French games publisher said last quarter that it returned to a full-year profit as online sales rose. Net income for the fiscal year ended March 31 was 37.3 million euros ($47 million), after a 52.1 million euro ($65 million) loss a year earlier.

Guillemot said he was confident that the demand for the Wii U will be strong. He said he expects Nintendo to manufacture 5 million units in the first six months of its launch

'Generally, that's what (Nintendo) does. The number can be more, it can be less... they are always limited in the number that they can build,' Guillemot said.

Nintendo said that it expects to sell 10.5 million units of both the Wii and Wii U this holiday season but has not broken out how many Wii U devices will be shipped.

Guillemot said he does not view the investment on the Wii U as risky because he said games launched with a new console sell well.

'It's easier at the beginning of the console cycle to astonish people and bring them new experiences than at the end of the cycle. So the risk that is seen as a big risk by many is actually the contrary,' Guillemot said.

(Reporting By Malathi Nayak and Liana Baker; Editing by Bernard Orr)



This article is brought to you by CHEAP COMPUTERS.

PlayStation's Wonderbook Makes Rowling's 'Book of Spells' Magical [HANDS-ON]

At E3 this week I had the opportunity to spend a little bit of time with PlayStation's new interactive book product Wonderbook and its first title Book of Spells. The entire experience can be summed up in just one word: magical. Sony announced Wonderbook at its E3 press conference on Monday. The interactive book looks for all intents and purposes like a traditional hardcover book, however, inside the pages are shapes rather than words. Used along with the PlayStation Move, the pages of the book can be read on the screen and come to life.

[More from Mashable: Group Sets World Record For Tablet Gaming: 26 Hours]

While Sony has plans to release a number of titles for the book, at E3 it was showing off only its first title, a book with original content written by Potter author J.K. Rowling, and the first tangible thing to come of Sony's new partnership with Pottermore.



[More from Mashable: 'Madden NFL 2013' Brings Voice Control, Virtual Twitter Feed]

SEE ALSO: J.K. Rowling's Pottermore Site Is Now Open To The Public

Modeled after an advanced textbook found in the restricted section of the Hogwarts library, Book of Spells has players learn different spells in order to becoming expert wizards. On your television screen you'll see yourself and the book in the environment you're in, so if you're in your living room that's showing up on the TV as well. Your PlayStation Move controller become a wand, and appears as such on the TV.

"Wonderbook Book of Spells is the closest a Muggle can come to a real spellbook," Rowling said in a statement displayed during Sony's E3 press conference. "I've loved working with Sony's creative team to bring my spells, and some of the history behind them, to life. This is an extraordinary device that offers a reading experience like no other."

Words in the book can be moved from book to screen to read with a flick of your wand, and as you progress the book gets highly interactive, bringing in a number of magical elements into the mix.

The augmented reality in the game is really what makes it shine. When learning the engorgio charm, for instance, you're given a pumpkin and charged with making it grow on the surface of the book. Waving the book around affects the pumpkin animation, so it looks as if you do, in fact, have a giant pumpkin resting on your book.



In another part of the spellbook, the book catches on fire and you have to put it out and the wipe the soot from its pages. In another, your book becomes covered with sand, and you dust it off by covering the ground around it in virtual sand.

Each chapter has its own lesson you are quizzed about at the end. There is also a room you can go in to practice spells you've learned.

While its probably not going to impress hard-core gamers, Wonderbook is pretty impressive. The graphics and gameplay are exceptionally immersive, and it's something that is bound to blow away young Potter fans. Sitting on the floor in front of a large television in Sony's press area, I felt almost as if the the virtual dragons and fires were real.

Check out the gallery below for a closer look at the game. What do you think? Can you see yourself wanting to play Book of Spells? Let us know your thoughts on the game in the comments.

This story originally published on Mashable here.



This news article is brought to you by TOYS - where latest news are our top priority.