Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD first step in series return

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD first step in series return:
Robomodo CEO Josh Tsui says downloadable update's success the first step in reviving classic skateboarding franchise.

The sales success of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD may make the Hawk into a phoenix. Robomodo CEO Josh Tsui spoke with Gamasutra about how the downloadable title is the first step in the dormant skateboarding franchise's rise from the ashes.

Josh Tsui hopes the franchise's long, downward boardslide ends now.

The timed Xbox Live Arcade exclusive sold 120,000 copies in its first week of availability, Robomodo told Gamasutra, and is set to go live on PlayStation network and PC later this year. Tsui said the smaller scale of the project, which met a lukewarm critical reception, made it an easier pitch to a still-hesitant Activision. Robomodo was the primary developer behind both 2009's Tony Hawk Ride and 2010's Tony Hawk Shred, peripheral-based entries in the franchise which were found to be lacking by many critics.

The return to the franchise's roots was bound to disappoint some whether they wanted more changes or fewer, Tsui said, but the smaller-scale downloadable update was meant to show the franchise had comeback potential. "The prospect of a fuller game is definitely on the table -- it's just a matter of when and how," he said.

"We were given the right amount [of resources] based on the scope of [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD], but obviously we would always want more to go bigger," Tsui said. "I don't think hits these days look the same as they did back in 1999 or 2000, so it would be great to see the Tony Hawk franchise do interesting things on a variety of platforms."

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

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"Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD first step in series return" was posted by Connor Sheridan on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:05:09 -0700

Age ratings for games become law in UK

Age ratings for games become law in UK:
UK switches to PEGI ratings system; retailers selling adult games to underage customers subject to prosecution.
Video game ratings have become legally enforceable for the first time in the UK as the country switches to the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) ratings system. The parallel British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) system has been dropped in the same move, as was planned in 2009's Digital Britain Report, following the 2008 Byron Review on child safety.

Games will now be age-rated by a single body for simplicity, with retailers subject to prosecution for flouting PEGI's 12, 16, and 18 ratings. Previously, the dual classification system was formally voluntary and, according to the Byron Review, "often made things confusing for the consumer".



Under the simplified system, the Video Standards Council will award ratings for games using PEGI's criteria for violence and sexual content. Game packaging will also feature the PEGI emblems for drugs, bad language, and the like.

The UK's Trading Standards Institute will oversee the changeover and compliance of game sellers who, if found guilty of selling games to underage customers, may face fines and prison sentences of up to six years.

Dr Jo Twist, chief executive of the United Kingdom Interactive Entertainment Association (UKIE) says the new system is "more relevant to games" than the BBFC equivalent and carries more weight, calling it "strict in the same regard as [rules on] alcohol or cigarettes".

Dr Richard Wilson, chief executive of games industry trade body TIGA, says that though PEGI ratings will let consumers make informed decisions, "the purchaser must ultimately take responsibility for ensuring that the game which he/she has bought is age-appropriate".

Wilson also notes online stores and digital downloads remain exempt from age rating enforcement. "As both of these methods typically require a credit or debit card, parents can ensure their children play age appropriate games".

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

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"Age ratings for games become law in UK" was posted by Jane Douglas on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:38:34 -0700

Rumor: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale characters and stages pour onto the web

Rumor: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale characters and stages pour onto the web:
New information has been revealed from the beta for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale with information on the upcoming characters and stages. There have been 14 stages leaked along with a 15th entry labeled “random.” The characters leaked are assumed to be unlocked during the course of the game while the original announced six characters are available from the get go which were Colonel Radec, Fat Princess, Kratos, Parappa the Rapper, Sly Cooper, Sweet Tooth and Nathan Drake.… Read more

Samsung readying 11.8-inch tablet with 'retina' display, say court documents

Samsung readying 11.8-inch tablet with 'retina' display, say court documents:






Court documents made public in the epic Apple v. Samsung trial that kicked off in California today reveal that Samsung is working on a tablet codenamed "P10" that would include LTE connectivity and an 11.8-inch display at 2560 x 1600 (WQXGA) resolution. With the new iPad, Apple has pushed the issue of so-called Retina displays in the tablet form factor — and it's no surprise that Samsung, one of the world's largest suppliers of LCDs and AMOLEDs — would be pushing for a screen to match in its own Galaxy line as quickly as possible. Though 11.8 inches might be on the hairy edge for tablet portability, the P10 would still qualify as a Retina-like device with a pixel density of 256 ppi.

BGR first broke news of a large, high-resolution...
Continue reading…

Google Glass Explorers hangouts create chaos

Google Glass Explorers hangouts create chaos:
This week the folks in charge of social media surrounding the Google Project Glass hardware on order right this second have created a set of Hangouts for the betterment of the project – but it didn’t turn out all that great this afternoon. The first set of Google Glass Explorers hangouts ended in mass confusion and hopeful users ending up finding out little, if anything, about Google Glass that they didn’t already know. Google Glass product manager Steve Lee and community manager Sarah Price hoped to hear feedback and ideas throughout the day.


To hear feedback from users of the device which isn’t actually on the market yet, Lee and Price noted that they’d be “hopping into as many hangouts as possible.” Participants in the event were encouraged to start their own hangouts and get to chatting about Google Glass as soon and as much as possible. The result, without much if any direction, was a collection of video chats with users saying things like “what are we supposed to be doing here?”
This is the first event of many, we expect, from the Explorers project we saw launched last week. In-depth talks and informative releases will be appearing soon with what we must expect will be more direction than we’ve seen this afternoon. People invited to the Explorers club were either Google I/O participants or people who took the opportunity to purchase the early release of Google Glass that will be sent out at the start of 2013.
At the moment we’ve only to wait for more information on the project as Google distributes it. When the Google Glass units are distributed early next year, developers as well as hardcore Google lovers will be able to send out information on their own, and the final consumer-ready version will be prepped before the end of 2013 – or so tips have tipped.

Story Timeline

• Google IO 2012: Project Glass wrap-up


• Sergey Brin talks Project Glass at IO 2012


• Will Google Glass Help Us Remember Too Well?


• Google Glass controls and Artificial Intelligence detailed


• Google Glass grabs developer outreach chief from Gmail


• Google Glass Explorers brings VIP flavor to the AR tech

Google Glass Explorers hangouts create chaos is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Specs for new gaming tablet from Wikipad released

Specs for new gaming tablet from Wikipad released:

Gaming fans interested in bringing the game experience down to a more personal, portable scale should have a new option hitting the market soon. Wikipad is planning to release a new tablet named after the company sometime before the end of the year. They recently showed off the latest iteration of the device to VentureBeat and shared specs for the device which include:

• 10.1-inch IPS display


• 16:10, 1280 x 800 resolution


• weight of 560 grams


• 8.6 mm thick


• NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 1.4GHz quad-core processor


• 1 GB RAM


• 16 GB internal storage (minimum, may eventually have more available)


• 8-megapixel rear-facing camera/2-megapixel front-facing camera


• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system


• Controller add-on

That last item, the controller add-on, will be of special interest to gamers. Resembling an Xbox 360 controller, the add-on includes two sets of triggers, bumpers and analog sticks to go with four “face” buttons, a start button, and a select button. The device also places speakers in strategic locations to try to improve audio performance.
Pricing and a definite delivery date have not yet been set. As we previously reported, Wikipad is planning to team up with Gaikai to provide a streaming game service on the device.
source: VentureBeat

via: Phandroid

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Two sources talk of Apple iPhone event around September 12th, part sales back it up (update: one more clue)

Two sources talk of Apple iPhone event around September 12th, part sales back it up (update: one more clue):

Apple's plans for its next iPhone refresh may be getting very tangible, very quickly. It all started when iMore heard that Apple was preparing to hold an event unveiling the new hardware on September 12th, with a launch the following week on September 21st. Although the relative newcomer to the iPhone release date rumor game is still building its track record, that claim may have just gotten some extra meat: AllThingsD is joining in the chorus and touts its own sources pointing to an event in the same timeframe. While it's almost a month earlier in the year than Apple's iPhone 4S event was in 2011, it's supported by an Apple filing with the SEC showing a sharp uptick in supply purchasing during the spring, which it would need to start production for the fall. All of it is still rumor, of course, but past experience suggests that iOS fans may want to plan any September camping trips for the Apple Store line late in the month, not Labor Day weekend.
Update: Jim Dalrymple at The Loop, who's well-known for his accurate one-word confirmations and denials of rumors, just posted his trademark "yep."
Filed under: Cellphones

Two sources talk of Apple iPhone event around September 12th, part sales back it up (update: one more clue) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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