PS3 in one room and your HD TV in another? Fear not, for the Rocketfish WirelessHD adapter is here to foil your madcap plans to run HDMI cables through walls and up banisters!
Providing your two devices are no more than 33 ft apart and are HDMI compatible, connecting a Rocketfish WirelessHD adapter to each will let you wirelessly throw 1080p HD content around the house without the need for lengthy cabling. It's also totally compatible with 7.1 audio sources and screens with 120hz refresh rates.
Currently only available to US readers, at $599.99 (circa £365) it's one of the cheapest Wireless HD options we've yet seen.
Via: Engadget
Despite denials from the top, the rumours surrounding a high definition Wii just won't go away.
The "prediction" of a HD Wii by 2010, which will have the effect of badly knocking Sony off its pedestal, comes from Wedbush Morgan (a securities firm, apparently, not the brand of tea Jonathan Ross drinks).
You'd be forgiven for missing the announcement, coming as it did in the "Money for Nothing: How Ancillary Revenues Can Extend The Console Cycle" report.
"We would expect such a console to be fully backward compatible with the current Wii, but would expect the new console to have additional features and functionality," it claims, also suggesting "Wii Plus" as the unoriginal name.
Sony talking up Blu-ray is not a new concept, but the company's marketing and public relations manager, Mark Levitan, has said that Blu-ray will be a decisive factor in promoting the PS3 over other games consoles.
"...you have to say to yourself, if you've bought an HDTV, 1080p resolution is important to you so maybe you want a Blu-ray player. If that's something you're considering, then obviously you're going to pick a PS3. You can go to any chain store and pick up a Blu-ray player but for an extra 100 bucks, you can get a PS3," he said.
I'm not sure consumers are obviously going to pick a PS3 over a standard Blu-ray drive, if they even pick a high definition drive at all in this current economic climate, but the PS3 has always been attractive to those wanting both gaming and HD movies.
Popular attraction LEGOLand Windsor has just added a bit of new technology, with the launch of its Xbox 360 Gaming Zone in the heart of LEGO City.
Children and their parents can now enjoy playing a variety of social games, including those from the LEGO series, on a bank of 17 high definition flat-panel TVs.
Games include LEGO Batman, LEGO Star Wars, and LEGO Indiana Jones, as well as Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, Shrek The Third, The Golden Compass, and Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix.
Senior sales and marketing director at LEGOLand, Hans Aksel Pedersen, said, "At LEGOLAND, we believe that the child is the hero and is always at the centre of the action. Our partnership with Xbox is a perfect illustration of this and has enabled us to create an amazing new area where we can add to our guests' experience and provide even more high quality entertainment for all the family."
(Via Gamers Daily News)
I've lost track of how many times we've speculated about Microsoft adding a Blu-ray drive to the Xbox, or of working with Toshiba on the Xbox.
You may recall that Microsoft has blown hot and cold over the issue of adding Blu-ray to its games console, while Toshiba got all defensive (via their PR company at the time) saying that it has nothing to do with the future of the Xbox.
In which case, that either means that the latest rumour is untrue, or that a joint venture between Toshiba and Samsung is completely different to anything Toshiba themselves would do. Of course, Toshiba still loathes Blu-ray (at least officially), preferring to upgrade DVD technology, so a deal with Microsoft couldn't possibly be true, could it?
Rumours surrounding the release of a high definition version of the Wii have been around since the console launched, but according to Electric Pig, the latest speculation could be the real deal.
The next generation Wii, which could be out by 2011, could have larger storage capacity, downloadable content, high definition output, and backwards compatibility with existing consoles.
Three years is a long time in gaming, though. Will it really be three years before Nintendo pushes something else out? By then, we could almost be ready for the next offerings from Microsoft and Sony.
(Via Electric Pig)
Microsoft has confirmed that a 60GB version of its Xbox 360, which was confirmed for the US last month, is coming to the UK this Friday, 15th August.
It replaces the 20GB model and costs the same: £199.
Microsoft's blurb says:
"Available in stores across the UK from 15th August at no extra cost, the new 60GB Xbox 360 enhances your capacity for fun by giving you three times more room to download the things you love. Whether it's blockbuster movies, music or games, Xbox 360 offers it all through its online entertainment network - Xbox LIVE. Pioneering the digital revolution in your living room, Xbox LIVE is the World's largest entertainment provider of High Definition experiences with over 12 million members, and a new member joining every five seconds."
(Via XBoxer.tv)
Sony has announced that its PlayTV box will be launching in the UK on 10th September, effectively turning your PlayStation into a PVR for terrestrial TV and allowing live and recorded TV to be streamed wirelessly to a PSP.
The box will do the same as any self-respecting PVR does, with the ability to record high definition content if that's available (more likely to work in Europe than the UK -- even when Freeview HD arrives in late 2009 it will probably necessitate a hardware change).
Must be a slow news day, but it's been a couple of months since I last wrote about Xbox 360 Blu-ray drive rumours so it must be due another airing.
No-one at Microsoft has said anything new, except to continue to deny the long term viability of Blu-ray and concentrate instead on its download store and associated partnerships, such as with Netflix in the US.
That 's according to David Gosen, Xbox VP of strategic marketing for Europe, speaking to T3 magazine.
Can't say I'm surprised, and given that to get any form of high definition disc content onto an Xbox you have to buy an additional bit of hardware, you may as well just buy a standalone Blu-ray player if you want Blu-ray movies. A PS3, perhaps?
(Via AV Review)
Microsoft has announced that it will be launching an Xbox 360 with larger hard drive -- the Xbox 360 Pro -- which will retail at the same price as the current 20GB model. That's $349 in the US, where it will arrive early next month.
The existing 20GB model will be phased out, with the price now cut to $299.
Given the price of hard drives, it makes sense for Microsoft to ditch the lowest capacity version. The Xbox 360 Elite already sports a 120GB drive.
It means more space for high definition content downloaded from Microsoft's Marketplace.
(Via Electronista)
Acer has announced its G24 widescreen LCD monitor, which it says is the first to offer a whopping 50,000:1 (yes, fifty thousand to one) contrast ratio.
Aimed at gamers and those wanting a decent high definition experience from their PC monitor, this 24-inch monitor has CrystalBrite technology, 1,920 x 1,200 resolution (16:10 ratio), HDMI input with full HDCP support, 176-degree viewing angle, and 400cd/m2 brightness.
A recent section in the "2008 Annual Report on the Home Entertainment Industry" suggests that Sony's PlayStation 3 will remain the driving force behind Blu-ray sales until next year, claiming that 87% of current users watch Blu-ray movies on it.
The summary of the report doesn't say how the results were derived, whether PS3 owners simply watched titles that were bundled with the console, and if they bought more titles. However, it does prove that most owners know about the Blu-ray functionality and are prepared to try it out.
The PS3 still represents very good value, considering it is a fully featured Blu-ray player (unlike some other more expensive standalone players on the market), and particularly to anyone with even a passing interest in gaming.
(Via CE Pro)
Having said "no" to a Blu-ray add-on for the Xbox 360, it's now possible that Microsoft could license the technology for its games console to third party manufacturers, which could see other bits of consumer electronics gear get gaming functionality built in.
Some industry insiders believe this could help Microsoft break in to the Japanese market, though games analyst Michael Pachter thinks the rumour is doubtful.
"To add 360 functionality to another consumer electronics device, such as a Blu-ray player, the manufacturer would incur relatively significant additional cost. That would place the hybrid device at a disadvantage. It doesn't sound likely to me, as the 360 is hardly as ubiquitous as, say, the DVD drive," he said in an interview with GamesIndustry.
(Via Digital Spy)
AMD has announced its Puma laptop PC platform, offering a dual-core Turion X2 Ultra mobile processor and ATI Radeon HD 3000 graphics chipset, aimed at gamers and small/medium businesses - an interesting pair of markets to target simultaneously.
According to AMD's President, Dirk Meyer, it will offer "the ultimate in HD visual performanc on the go", and reports suggest that a number of PC manufacturers - including Hewlett Packard, Dell, Toshiba, Asus, Fujitsu, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, NEC, Toshiba, and Acer - have plans to use the platform.
(Via Sci-Tech Today)
Sony has announced the launch of the first edition of "Qore", a monthly gaming programme shot in high definition, hosted by Victoria Belmont, and featuring news, interviews, previews, plus exclusive access to beta tests, demos, and downloadable content.
It costs $2.99 per episode, or $24.99 for a 13-month subscription, with the first episode available now from the PlayStation Network.
(Via PSPSPS.tv)
I had almost promised myself I wouldn't write about Xbox 360 Blu-ray rumours ever again, given how many times Microsoft has stated that downloads are the future, and that people buy games consoles to play games.
However, the Chinese newspaper "Economic Daily News" has published a story suggesting that a deal for assembling a Blu-ray version of the Xbox 360, or at least an add-on drive, has already been signed with Pegatron, a subsidiary of Asus.
Certainly we can expect some strong denials from Microsoft, even if there is any truth in this story, because that's just what big companies do.
(Via C&VG)
A number of die-hard fans of the Sega's original Sonic the Hedgehog have collaborated and started working on a high definition update.
The S2HD web page states:
"The purpose of the S2HD project is to remaster Sega's classic Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in high definition graphics, whilst at the same time precisely preserving the original gameplay. New features that were not present in the original will also be made available. The S2HD project is always searching for new talent to aid us in our endeavour to resurrect and improve a timeless gaming classic. All of those significantly involved with the S2HD project readily understand that the birth of this venture was entirely due to enthusiastic individuals showcasing their artistic talents in the Sonic community. Collaboration rather than competition and encouragement as opposed to derision are therefore our most central philosophies."
The team is working on a variety of tasks including remastering all the tiles, sprites, and music, adding new graphical effects, original and new levels, and 3D effects.
S2HD site
Always ready to talk up a piece of kit that it has just stopped supporting, Microsoft has happily told a disgruntled customer that the Xbox 360's HD DVD drive is a great DVD player, readily plays the 500+ HD DVD titles available, and adds an extra two USB ports to the system.
"It allows you to have game discs and movie discs, whether HD DVD or DVD, within the console at one time," said Shane Kim, Corporate VP of Microsoft Game Studios.
Indeed it does. It's worth scooping up HD DVDs where you can find them, though, as Blu-ray is rapidly filling up the shelf space where they used to sit.
(Via Spong)
Following last year's news of Sky showing last year's Championship Gaming Series in high-def, dates for the UK and European qualifiers for the 2008 Series have been announced.
UK and European qualification events will take place on May 16-18 at Omega Sektor, Europe's premier game center, in Birmingham.
There has been quite a bit of excitement about the possibility that Sony's latest PS3 firmware update will allow Blu-ray titles to be compressed and transferred to the PSP for portable viewing.
Unfortunately, that little gem of an idea hasn't materialised, so you'll have to keep an eye out for some unofficial way of getting high definition movies from the big screen to the tiny screen if that's your thing.
digg this |
del.icio.us this
| 
Stumble It!
