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AMD Acquires ATI For $5.4 Billion
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360,
After what seems like months of speculation, AMD today announced that they would be acquiring graphics manufacturer ATI in a transaction valued at close to $5.4 billion. The terms of the deal include $4.2 billion in cash and 57 million shares of AMD common stock.
There is no question that this shakes up many different areas of the industry. AMD and Intel have been competing strongly over the desktop and server markets, and Intel’s Core 2 Duo chips currently seem to have the attention of the enthusiast market. ATI and nVidia have been trading blows in the GPU arena. ATI provides the graphics horsepower behind the Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii, and nVidia will help drive the Playstation 3. On paper, the two companies seem complementary, and if the two companies can integrate quickly, their technologies may help both CPU and GPU design move forward. However, assimilation may not be as easy as the companies expect, and this may impact existing and future partnerships in ways that have not been foreseen.
Full Press Release after the jump
Click to continue reading AMD Acquires ATI For $5.4 Billion
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Ubisoft Announces New TMNT Game at Comic-Con 2006
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, PlayStation 3, Trailers, Wii, Xbox 360,
Following the look and feel of the upcoming CG-based Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, Ubisoft will be developing a partner game, given the creative tentative name of TMNT. Specific consoles haven’t been named yet for the release, but Ubisoft states that it will be for “next gen” systems.
The game will feature acrobatic navigation through cityscapes, a flexible combat engine, and cooperative moves that allow the turtles to each use their special powers. The game looks a lot like a faster-moving version of the recent 3D Prince of Persia games (also made by Ubisoft), which is probably due to the fact that the game is in early development and may be based on the PoP engine. Still, if TMNT just plays like an updated, next-gen Prince of Persia, then we may be looking at one of the better games in the TMNT lineage.
A teaser movie for the game is available via the link below and features some clips of preliminary gameplay footage.
Read More 
| IGN.com
Sony To Require Almost $300 Deposit for PS3?
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3, Rumors,
According to statements in British trade publication MCV, Sony is talking with British retailers about requiring a substantial deposit (150 pounds, about $270 US) for its next-gen console, the Playstation 3. The article states that this measure is being considered to stop eBay speculators from creating a repeat performance of the Xbox 360 launch. During that launch, numerous reports were received of enterprising individuals buying several Xbox 360 consoles on release day to sell on eBay, using the console shortage to drive up prices substantially.
With numerous reports of part shortages and low chip yields, the Playstation 3 could see a similar shortage - but it’s questionable just how much this sort of a deposit would deter eBay speculators. And instead of requiring a Wii-sized deposit, couldn’t Sony just require stores to sell only one or two consoles per person? We’ll keep our eyes open to see if this sort of a deposit scheme makes it state-side.
Read More | Boomtown
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Marvel Ultimate Alliance Trailer
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Adventure, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Role Playing Games, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Fresh from the San Diego Comic-Con, TeamXbox has a couple of high resolution trailers from the upcoming action RPG, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. The first trailer shows off more of the expanded character set in the new game. The character models look to be a mix of the more updated Marvel Ultimate look and the classic comic book conventions. Some characters are shown merely as introduction, but gamers also get a look at some of the superheroes in action as well.
In addition to the generic trailer, an introduction movie for the Human Torch is provided. The flame effects seem fairly strong, but the character modeling is somewhat uneven. Ultimate Alliance seeks to vastly expand the game world from the previous X-Men Legends games, and offer much stronger online co-operative game play. The developers have slowly been revealing the characters included in the game, so Marvel aficionados should be able to find one of their favorite heroes to play. The game should ship some time before the holidays, and has been announced for a number of platforms, from the Game Boy Advance to the Playstation 3.
Read More | TeamXbox
Asustek Set To Deliver Playstation 3?
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3, Rumors,
According to Digitimes, Chinese-language newspapers Apple Daily and Commercial Times are reporting that Asustek has started shipping small batches of the Playstation 3 to Sony. These units would be part of the four million consoles that Sony is seeking to have ready by the end of the year. Digitimes also quotes Apple Daily as saying that Chinese manufacturer Foxconn will be building Playstation 3 consoles as demand grows. The reports come from Taiwanese component suppliers for the Playstation 3, who say that they have delivered 200,000 component sets to Asustek for manufacturing. While no confirmation has come from other sources at this time, production lines for the Playstation 3 would have to start ramping up soon to meet Sony’s November launch date. Sony has reportedly been facing low yields for both the Cell processor and the Blu-Ray optics; how much this will affect their assembly line schedule remains to be seen.
Read More | Digitimes
Square Denies Final Fantasy XI Sequel
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, Internet, MMORPG, PC, PlayStation 3, Rumors, Xbox 360,
Reports have been circulating that Square-Enix was planning a follow-up to their massively multiplayer online RPG, Final Fantasy XI. This sequel was supposedly due to appear on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows Vista platforms. Today, Square denied such rumors, stating that there were no current plans for such a game. Instead, additional expansion content is being actively developed for Final Fantasy XI. Also, Square restated their E3 announcement: there will be a new online title for next generation platforms, but they insist this will be a completely new MMORPG.
Read More | Square-Enix
PS3 To Feature BD Live Technology
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Marketplace,
Part of the Blu-Ray’s specification includes the use of BD Live. BD Live allows a disc to check online each time it is inserted for new content to download. This content can be anything from movie trailers, actor info, or additional content. This extra content can even be viewed on the PS3 through a picture-in-picture mode. According to Major Nelson’s latest podcast, the Xbox 360’s HD DVD add-on will have similar functionality. I am unconvinced that this functionality will add anything to the next gen gaming experience that isn’t available through some form of an online marketplace.
Read More | T3
Sony Sued For Patent Infringement Again
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Corporate News, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP,
If this keeps up Sony will soon be able to empathize with Take Two. Sony is facing another lawsuit for patent infringement. This time Sony is accused of infringing on 8 patents held by Agere Systems, a Pennsylvania based semiconductor company. The suit claims that the PSP, Playstation 2, and the Playstation 3’s final specs are the same as those already announced. The suit also covers a large range of the Sony VAIO product line, the Memory Stick Duo, and Location Free TV. Sony claims it has the rights to use 7 of the patents from a 1989 deal with AT&T and Lucent, and claims that several of the patents are invalid.
Read More | GameSpot
Half-Life 2 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 Announced
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, First Person Shooters, MMORPG, PC, PlayStation 3, Sports, Strategy, Wii, Xbox 360,
EA recently hosted the Summer Showcase to highlight some of their upcoming products, and Gamespot blogged a live report from the presentation.
Mythic was there, and showed off the E3 Warhammer Online trailer, but there was no information on their work on Ultima Online.
Valve’s Gabe Newell was also there. He first talked about the latest upgrades to the Source engine for Episode 2. Then, he showed off the prototype for a new game with a working title of Portal. Team Fortress 2 was shown and features a new look and feel; the game has been remade to have more of a 60’s era spy movie sensibility. Half-Life: Episode 2 will apparently hit the PC, Xbox 360, and the Playstation 3 on the same day. Console gamers will also get all previous Half-Life 2 content, so it looks like the Xbox 360 Half-Life 2 rumors were true.
Other game titles discussed include the recently announced Lord of the Rings: The White Council, and the six Wii games that EA announced earlier. Need for Speed: Carbon was shown for both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and apparently looked very similar. There was other mystery content announced that could not be talked about, so hopefully more information about those titles will leak out in the near future.
Read More | Gamespot
Sony Still Best Brand
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3,
A recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive shows Sony topping the list of “best brands” for the seventh year in a row. Participants in the poll were asked the following question: “We would like you to think about brands or names of products and services you know. Considering everything, which three brands do you consider the best?” The responses were totaled, and this year, Sony was again number one on the list. Other notable entries include Dell, at second place, and Apple at tenth on the list. Hewlett-Packard also made the list at seventh. Last year, Microsoft tied with Hewlett-Packard for tenth on the list, and this year they dropped off the top ten. The list doesn’t really correlate with success in a particular field or sales numbers. It does, however, indicate how well received a company is by customers buying its products. Since the question doesn’t qualify the word “best” in any way, it can be hard to draw conclusions, but it does indicate that in the world of the general consumer, the Sony brand does carry some weight.
Read More | Yahoo Finance
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