Microsoft Corp. might as well enter the real estate business. They may not want your mortgage payment or utility bills, but they’ll take all the space they can get.
Why?
Because when it comes to the connected entertainment business, the diversified vendor wants to own or control the home and everything around it.
Consider this: As far as delivering video to consumers is concerned, the IT colossus already is in the home with your PC and media center software, already produces wireless devices and code, and already has multifunctional IPTV — and just cable TV — software in many TV STBs.
While many vendors would kill for this breadth of coverage — which spells countless big-buck revenue opportunities for service providers — Microsoft has it and plans to expand its presence in the home and beyond.
A clear-cut case-in-point was Microsoft’s announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show 2007 of plans to integrate its IPTV software with its wildly popular Xbox 360 gaming console for general availability to service providers by the holidays. The move was expected, as it long has been said that the Xbox was a Trojan Horse for Microsoft to own home networking.
I saw this on Wired, and it deffinitely hit home. With my recent baby I was tossing around some Gears of War, and I wondered just how I was going to tackle this same issue. I still am not sure, but its nice to know others are thinking about it too.
I was playing a round of Gears of War, trying to redo a level on “insane” mode, and the walls were painted with guts. I slaughtered my way to the boss, revved up my chainsaw, and sliced into his chest — releasing a fractal fountain of gore. Woo!
At that instant, I heard the front door to my apartment open, and in walked my nanny … with my 15-month-old son, his eyes agog. Daddy, I could see him thinking, what are you doing?
Oh, nothing, son. Just kicking back with a mass-murder simulator. That’s all!
So I hastily clicked off my Xbox 360, and avoided the nanny’s eyes. But it got me thinking: Eventually he’s going to want to play video games. And then I’ll have to face the traditional child-rearing quandaries that games present. When will I hand him his first controller? Will I let him play the gory combat games I love so much — and, if so, when?
Ok…. this is funny in so many ways. The kid who “hosts” it is simply rediculous. I think hes a Teenage Mutant Ninja Human. He just needs to say “dude” more. And the kids in the arcade? WOW. Priceless
Today Epic announced that a new game mode will be coming in an April 9th update.
The Game mode is called Annex.
Annex
Objective: Capture and hold key locations to collect enough points to win the round.
Description: In Annex, you win by keeping control over key map locations, or objectives, long enough to collect a winning number of points. Every map has two to five identified objectives available for capture, with one objective active at a time. Objectives are based on map weapon-spawn locations and have a potential value of 60 points toward either team’s score. Teams collect those points by maintaining ownership of an objective until all its 60 points have been distributed. Every second that a team controls an objective, the team gets one point. When an objective falls to zero points, the next objective is selected at random.
On the HUD, the current objective appears below the team scores at top left. This indicator contains several pieces of relevant information. The weapon icon inside the circle indicates which weapon-spawn location is being used as the objective. The compass along the outer edge of the circle shows the relative direction to the objective. The number inside the circle indicates how many points remain at that objective and the background icon color indicates which team currently controls it. No color means the objective awaits capture, a red icon means the Locust Horde hold the objective and a blue icon means the COG hold it. When the icon in the indicator circle fills, the corresponding team’s score also changes color, the team begins collecting points from the objective, and the point value of the objective drops.
On the map, a projected ring marks the physical location and boundaries of the objective in the world. The ring’s color indicates the current captor: White means neutral, blue COG, and red Locust. To capture an objective, players must stand inside the glowing ring uncontested for a short period of time. How long depends on how many teammates stand in the ring at once. One player can capture an objective in eight seconds, two players in four seconds, three players in two seconds, and four players in one second. Once a team takes an objective, they are not required to remain inside the ring to maintain ownership. The captured objective’s points drain until an opposing team member enters the ring, or until its points fall to zero.
Round scores can be set as low as 120 points or as high as 480 points. The first team to reach the target score wins the round.
Respawns: Infinite, wave-based every 15 seconds.
This mode appears to borrow some inspiration from the old Onslaught mode in Unreal Tournament 2004. This will be the second content update to Gears of War, and will be available on April 9th.
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (March 23, 2007) – With the 3-D virtual world of Second Life® having become an online phenomenon, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation today announced that it is the first national real estate company to sell homes within the community. Offering houses in a variety of architectural styles and the ability to tour neighborhoods with a real estate professional, Coldwell Banker® is reinforcing its mission to ensure that everyone can achieve the dream of homeownership, whether on Main Street or in the metaverse.
We always knew there was so much more fun to be had from the whole Guitar Hero thing.. and this sounds like its PERFECT.
Harmonix forms Rock BandNew game from Guitar Hero-maker to feature guitar, drum, microphone peripherals, master recordings from major labels; game due on PS3, 360 later this year.
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Harmonix, MTV Networks, and Electronic Arts today officially announced Rock Band. The music-based game will do Guitar Hero two better by featuring guitar, drum, and microphone peripherals, proving rock and roll requires more than just someone who can handle the axe. Rock Band is scheduled to be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this holiday season.
Like Guitar Hero, Rock Band will feature licensed music. Thanks largely in part to its new relationship with MTV, Harmonix was able to wrangle multi-track master recordings from the catalogs of some of the biggest record labels in the business. On board to offer access to their portfolios are EMI Music Publishing, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Hollywood Records, and Warner Chappell Music. It is currently unknown how much from each music publisher will be available to Harmonix, but the emphasis going forward will be to work with the artists themselves.
Maniac Mansion 9 minute Speed Run. Hot.
