Al Hilal advances to AFC Champions League knockout stage despite 1-1 draw with Al Sadd    Finance minister: All Vision 2030 projects have sustainable funding that won't affect public finances    Crown Prince announces medium-term debt strategy to diversify funding sources "A resilient economy capable of overcoming challenges reflects progress towards achieving Vision 2030 goals"    'No excuses' for Israel to not accept ceasefire deal, EU foreign policy chief says    Alkhorayef highlights role of National Initiative for Global Supply Chains in boosting Saudi economy    Saudi Arabia signs investment deals worth SR35bn with foreign firms to strengthen global supply chains    Saudi Arabia unveils updates on Expo 2030 Riyadh master plan at 175th BIE General Assembly Riyadh Expo Development Company established to oversee strategic planning, operations, and legacy development    Riyadh Season draws 8 million visitors in 6 weeks    Saudi FM attends Quadripartite meeting on Sudan in Italy    Gangsters block aid distribution in south Gaza    Russian deserter reveals war secrets of guarding nuclear base    Georgia's new parliament opens first session amid mass protests and boycott    Best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies    Cristiano Ronaldo's double powers Al Nassr to 3-1 win over Al Gharafa in AFC Champions League    Al Ahli edges Al Ain 2-1, bolsters perfect start in AFC Champions League Elite    Al-Falih: 1,238 foreign investors obtain premium residency in Saudi Arabia    Most decorated Australian Olympian McKeon retires    Adele doesn't know when she'll perform again after tearful Vegas goodbye    'Pregnant' for 15 months: Inside the 'miracle' pregnancy scam    Do cigarettes belong in a museum?    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Game on: Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft wage war
By Gabriel Madway and Franklin Paul
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 18 - 06 - 2010

Electronics hardware makers Tuesday showed off snazzy new devices enabling motion-sensing play and 3D effects, intensifying a battle to introduce video-gaming to a new generation of casual users.
Hot on the heels of Microsoft Corp's full-body motion-sensing Kinect, Japan's Nintendo Co Ltd on Tuesday took the wraps off a new version of its DS handheld device that can play games and show movies in 3D without glasses.
And Sony Corp introduced the “Move” - which like Nintendo's popular Wii employs a wand-like controller to double as everything from a tennis racket to a baseball bat in games - and promised up to a score of 3D titles soon for its PlayStation 3 console.
The launches and demonstrations from the triumvirate of gaming hardware makers at this week's E3 expo in Los Angeles - the $60 billion industry's most important annual showcase - set the stage for a pitched battle to bring players beyond the hard-core fanbase into the fold.
Analysts said Microsoft made the biggest splash with a seemingly revolutionary platform that employs no controller, and a clear mandate to target casual players. And Nintendo's move to add a third dimension to its market-leading DS mobile handled device will shore up its market position.
The triumvirate that rules the market for gaming devices is stepping up their battle just as the industry is beginning to recover from a two-year slump.
Analysts say laggard Sony, the erstwhile consumer electronics leader that has seen Nintendo surge ahead with the well-received Wii, has a potential winner in Move but that the jury was still out.
Sony's Move appeared to mimic a gaming system that Nintendo pioneered with the controller-operated Wii a couple years ago, but Sony argued the precision of its technology - which captures every twist and contortion of arm actions - and the ability to employ combinations of buttons will continue to please hard-core players.
Another innovative technology highlighted was cloud gaming - the hosting and playing of games on servers without the need to buy and store a game from a home device.
Cloud service OnLive announced titles including Ubisoft Entertainment SA's Assassin's Creed and Electronic Arts Inc's Mass Effect 2, stored on Dell Inc servers and played - via cellular connections on computers and eventually TV.
New gizmos
On Tuesday, the creator of Super Mario games and the Wii offered a peek at its 3DS. The device comes with two screens - one a touch screen - and three built-in cameras, enabling the machine to snap digital photos in 3D.
Nintendo, which has seen growth in sales of its industry-leading Wii slow as rivals slash prices, did not say when sales begin or give a retail price, except that it will hit store shelves sometime before March 2011.
Nintendo is not alone in taking the wraps off a hot new gizmo. On Monday, Microsoft said it will begin selling its “Kinect” motion-sensing game system on November 4.
Also on Tuesday, Sony announced that its Move motion-sensing platform - which will compete with the Wii and Kinect - will begin selling on Sept. 15 in Europe, followed a few days later in the United States. Sony executives said the Move's wand - which has buttons for in-game functions - ensures the platform appeals to as wide a range of players as possible, both casual and hardcore users.
Sony is making a huge bet on 3D gaming, as it is on 3D televisions, arguing it is unique in offering an end-to-end experience, from TVs to content via its entertainment division. It will have over 20 3D titles available for the PlayStation 3, which has a base of 35 million users, by March of 2011.


Clic here to read the story from its source.