- New Sony patent reveals details of upcoming handheld touch screen console. Maybe. The inventor is Phil Harrison. But if this is all it takes to file a US patent I think I will run off a few this afternoon.
- Japanese researchers develop 42 Gbyte DVD. When you consider that BluRay is 25 Gbyte for single layer and 50 Gbyte for dual layer this is a significant advance. Online delivery may well be taking over from physical media but this still may be something Microsoft might like. Especially with its inherent anti piracy benefits.
- Massive update for Xbox Live rumoured. Including 3D Dashboard, support for gesture interface (motion sensor), social networking and avatars. Combine this with the imminent US price cut and rejig of hard disk sizes and you can see that Microsoft are putting together an even more compelling package. I just hope they sort out the front end of XLA so that it can more easily handle a huge library of games.
- Game file sharing pirates zapped in court. Excellent news that these thieves are going to have to pay up. Pity it’s only £2,750. Adding an extra zero to the punishment would be more realistic. Let’s hope loads more of these thieves get zapped soon.
- Activision executives get $6 million bonus. And quite right too, why should City types who don’t make anything be the only ones to get big salaries? To build a publisher to world number one deserves rewards like this. Let’s hope it attracts some more top class management into the industry. We need it.
- Paedophiles using game consoles to meet their victims online. No surprise here then. These sick and evil people will use every means possible for their perversions. Society is too soft on them when they are caught.
- Excellent Bobby Kotick interview in The Times (which really has switched from being anti to pro gaming). You can see how he earns his salary with some excellent stuff on player demographics, the economic downturn and looking after employees. I wish more managers in the industry were this incisive.
- Huge controversy over torture game. Not what the industry needs or wants. But it does show up just how stupid the BBFC juggling for power and added bureaucracy is. Their ability to do anything about this game would be precisely zero.
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Yeah, I dunno, Bruce. I’m not a huge fan of piracy myself, but I have to be honest; I see little value in trying to bankrupt the people who don’t pirate for profit. It IS illegal and it SHOULD be punished, but if you’re not someone making money off of piracy, those 2 thousand pounds are a lot of money as it is, don’t you think?
I’m glad to see them punished, but I’d be a little worried if we really were pushing unrealistic fines and penalties on these types of pirates. I just don’t think it will help… It may even hurt.
The easiest way in the world to turn kids against us is to appear evil, don’t you think? Bankrupting people for uploading a game appears kinda evil… even if you do think it “just”.
– Snipehunter
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The 42GB DVD is sadly next to worthless. Given it doesn’t play in standard drives then it is, effectively, a new format. We already have one of those and all having 2 of those achieved before was allowing me to buy a hell of a lot of clearance hidef movies in red boxes.
3 or 4 years too late.
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You should be properly punished for putting up games for piracy. Even if you’re not profiting. You’re actively causing piracy.
I think the line is fining people who download the games. This shouldn’t be done and I know I was angry when this happened to people downloading the odd music track. Quite frankly, if someone is offering something for free then they are going to be tempted on occasion, even if it’s just try-before-you-buy.