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Games With Online Multiplayer Sell More

Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Corporate News, Downloadable Content, Internet, Microsoft, Nintendo, PlayStation 3, Sony, Wii, Xbox 360,

Multiplayer, Globe with Halo 2 Lobby

A research paper from Electronic Entertainment Design and Research has been released that suggests that games with online support can be crucial to a game’s retail success. Not surprisingly, another way to boost sales is to create a quality game (defined as those with a 90+ score on Metacritic), with these well-reviewed titles outselling the average release well above 5-to-1.

While making good games typically means making good money, naturally, it is a bit surprising to see the report indicate that sales can be doubled by dropping in an online mode. With online games selling twice the number copies that offline titles do, it’s curious to note that over half of games released don’t offer even basic online support.

Click to continue reading Games With Online Multiplayer Sell More

Read More | Ars Technica

Gallery: Games With Online Multiplayer Sell More


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Detailed Warhawk FAQ Available

Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Action, Downloadable Content, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network,

Warhawk in Action

Dylan Jobe from the team has posted a lengthy FAQ on the PlayStation blog where he clarifies, among other details, how the player-hosted matches will work. Essentially, the system tests the host’s connection speed and makes a determination based on that about how many players the game will support, 8, 16, 24 or 32. From the FAQ:

[W]e… do a really quick series of bandwidth tests to determine how many players you will be able to handle. We spent quite a bit of time looking at the bandwidth requirements to make sure that the games that you host are not out of your league with regard to the bandwidth needed. We got a lot of comments during the BETA about players that were hosting 24 or 32 player games when they didn’t have the bandwidth to do so. This resulted in pretty crappy game experiences sometimes. Our updated bandwidth requirements should resolve a lot of this and we’ll be monitoring it and changing them if we need to… If you’re at school (college dorm or something) on a network you’ll probably be hosting up to 32 players, but the net is what the net is and you all know how it can change like the weather. If you have a really bad connection, then you will be hosting eight or 16 players.

He also talks about how there will be no way to run the retail version without the disc in tray, the fact that there will be clan support and that there is split-screen play but you can only have one headset active at a time on a given console, plus a lot more.

Read More | PlayStation Blog

Gallery: Detailed Warhawk FAQ Available


Unofficial USB Network Dongle For Wii Found

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Wii,

Wii owners with wireless networks have support out of the box, but those still operating with wired networks have had only a couple options: either purchase the USB WiFi dongle for one of their PCs, or wait for Nintendo’s official USB wired network adapter. Now, there is a third option. Some forum members from Nintendo’s official forums have found a USB network adapter that will work with the Wii. According to posts on the forum, the KINAMAX USB 2.0 to RJ45 Fast Ethernet 10/100 Base-T Network Adapter will work correctly when connected to the USB port of the Wii. The adapter runs about $20, and should be a good option for those too impatient to wait for an official solution from Nintendo. One of the forum members has uploaded a video showing the adapter in action to YouTube, linked above. Of course, as a non-official solution, users with this adapter should not expect to get any support from Nintendo should any issues arise.

Read More | Nintendo Forums via Game|Life

Gallery: Unofficial USB Network Dongle For Wii Found


PS3 Online Network Service Preview

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Internet, PlayStation 3,

Sony Store

Not a whole lot is known about Sony’s online functionality for the PS3. The service has been announced as free, and Sony promised to support functionality similar to that of Microsoft’s Xbox Live. Eurogamer was able to get a more detailed preview directly from Sony, as to what gamers can expect when they get their console online. Previously published reports have shown off the cross-bar, the PSP-like UI for the console. Sony’s Phil Harrison also described the included web browser, which should be a fully standards enabled browser to allow access to rich content on the Internet.

Eurogamer delves a little more into how users will be managed on the console. Sony has a concept of a master account and associated accounts. Master accounts have full access to their content, while an associated account can be restricted to allow kids access to the machine. Sony says that this will be a single sign-in for all of the network enabled games. How this will integrate with third-party back-ends like GameSpy and Xfire was not discussed.

Finally, Eurogamer also got a preview of Sony’s online store system; there are some interesting concepts for the store that are discussed, including Sony’s online walleting system. Interestingly, Sony has indicated that all store items will be priced in local currency rather than an ambiguous points system. While there isn’t a ton of new information in the preview, it is interesting to see more of what Sony has planned for their online ambitions.

 

Read More | Eurogamer

Gallery: PS3 Online Network Service Preview


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