By Scott Steinberg on May 16, 2011 in Kinect, Microsoft, Nintendo
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Wii 2, Project Cafe, Stream… regardless of the name, Nintendo’s new video game system will soon make an appearance this June at the E3 2011 tradeshow. But does it have what it takes to win the next-generation console war against the PlayStation 4, Xbox 720 or whatever systems Sony and Microsoft choose to next introduce? As part of Gear Up, our running technology video series for Rolling Stone magazine, we take a closer look at whether or not the Wii 2...
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By Nadia Oxford on May 12, 2011 in Game Design, Kinect, Microsoft
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Microsoft’s Kinect has captured the hearts and flailing limbs of casual players, but hardcore gamers still need to be sold on the wonders of controller-free gaming.
There’s a bit of cynicism surrounding the idea that Kinect and the PlayStation Move can possibly appeal to traditionalists, but there’s also a way to budge that cynicism: Develop a must-have core game that utilizes motion controls.
As it so happens, Microsoft might be at work on that....
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By Nadia Oxford on May 2, 2011 in Kinect, Microsoft, Motion Controls
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When Microsoft’s motion-sensing Kinect camera concept came to light, some of us had fantasies about turning our living rooms into the Bat Cave and bossing around our high-tech game systems with physical gestures and voice commands. Six months since the launch of the Kinect, most of us are still using our controllers to navigate our Xbox 360 dashboard – including the folks who bought a Kinect at launch.
Oddly enough, while the Kinect is still young, but...
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By Nadia Oxford on Apr 26, 2011 in Kinect, Microsoft, Motion Controls
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As mature gamers, Christmas Day doesn’t really hold the thrill of surprise for us anymore. So we have to make do with trade show E3, the ultimate spring showcase for the video game industry. At E3, we learn what companies have been constructing through the barren winter months. Anything can happen, and it often does.
With the rumor that Nintendo might be showing off the Wii 2 at E3 2011, this year’s upcoming E3 is suddenly worth anticipating. But one...
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By Nadia Oxford on Apr 18, 2011 in Culture, Microsoft, Nintendo
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Even the best video game music is still stereotyped as a bunch of bleeps and bloops; just watch a modern TV show that features at least one scene wherein the characters bash at controllers and are held in thrall by the sounds of Atari’s Pac-Man adaptation for the 2600.
Gamers know better. Though a game can’t prop itself up on its soundtrack alone, a quality soundtrack is typically what imprints a title in the memories of its fans. Long-time gamers in...
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