In late 1994, Richard Miller, the former VP of Technology at Atari from 1989 through 1994, created a company called VM Labs. Having gained extensive experience in hardware development (his team created the Atari Jaguar), Mr. Miller focused his company's energies on creating a new technology to renovate the passive experience delivered by DVD players and digital satellite receivers. In 2000 their efforts resulted in the release of the NUON, a powerful 128-bit processor that was to be embedded within these types of digital video products. This technology produced excellent results in processing complex 3D graphics and digital video that enabled the delivery of interactive content, enhanced DVD playback (smooth scanning and zoom features) and, the point of writing this review, video games.
NUON technology was released in a handful of DVD players (the first being the Toshiba SD-2300, pictured in this review). All DVD NUON equipped players resemble their standard counterparts - there is nothing notable to describe with the exception of a small NUON logo displayed on the front of the unit. The remote was used to drive gameplay, but a few third party controllers were released. The general purpose was not unlike previous attempts at being an all-in-one multimedia playing machine (Memorex VIS, Philips CD-i, Pioneer LaserActive, et al). VM Labs also followed suit by planning to license the technology to various manufacturers (like the 3DO Company did in 1993). The reason that NUON technology was only released in select DVD players and not as a stand alone video game console was based on pure statistics. At the time, only 30% of the general public had embraced video game technology in their homes while the DVD player market was booming and was projected to have 100% penetration within 5-10 years. This was sound business planning, except for one key fact that they failed to give proper attention to - the release of a video game console that also played DVDs - the Sony Playstation 2.
Enthusiasts within the respective DVD and video game market are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but it is safe to say that there are many more video game devotees that also are DVD fans than vice versa (especially in 2000). The decision to market a DVD player that could play games was incorrect - the DVD aficionado did not necessarily play video games nor cared about them. Sure, the smooth scrolling zoom and scan features that a NUON DVD player offered were cool, but would the public pay the extra $100 or so for these features? The answer to this question is rather obvious, but first let's take a look at the NUON in more detail.
The NUON chip (which was previously known as Merlin and then Project X) was truly a powerful piece of hardware at the time. The technology is based on the Aries 3 chip. The following is an excellent description of the capabilities and functions:
"The heart of NUON was the Aries 3 chip. The Aries 3 was based on a unique 128-bit, four-way-parallel very long instruction word processor architecture. In addition to the video and audio decoding and trick-play functions, the chip performs all system-management and CPU functions. More specifically, Aries 3 featured MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 program stream and video decode; MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 Layers 1 and 2 audio decode; 5.1-channel Dolby Digital audio decode; extended DVD trick modes; 32-voice wave table synthesizer; MP3 decode; an integrated Content Scrambling System descrambling module; video scaling, and 3-D video gaming. A hardware block placed on-chip to assist MPEG video decoding was designed to free up the bulk of the VLIW device's programmable processing power: 3,024 MIPS at peak and 864 MIPS typical." - referenced from the Dark Watcher's site.
This processing power described above produced games graphically equivalent to early Playstation 2 games. A total of eight games were released for the system, the most notable being Iron Soldier 3 and Tempest 3000 (developed by Jeff Minter, renowned classic home computer and Atari programmer). Though the developers varied on these releases, the majority waited to see if NUON could grab a significant hold of the DVD player market share prior to investing into this technology. In the end, it did not and third party support (both from the hardware and software fields) quickly dissipated, adding to one of the final nails in the coffin.
The NUON essential failed due to incorrectly identifying the needs of the ever increasing DVD player buying market. DVD enthusiasts were just that - not necessarily video game driven buyers. VLM Labs went bankrupt in 2001 and sold off the NUON technology to Genesis Microchip, which in turn retired further development of the NUON in July, 2002.
NUON-enabled systems can be acquired easily from eBay and other like sources. A loose system is cheap - right around $20-$40 or so (USD). There is not necessarily a highly desirable unit, though the Toshiba SD-2300 and Samsung Extiva N-2000 are the first systems released. For a hardware CIB unit, expect to pay $75-$100 (USD). Some of the games for the system are hard to come by and will run you a few bucks - most notably the Next Tetris (only included in the Toshiba system) and Tempest 3000 (the best game). These will run you around $70 or so - the more common games around $20-$30. This is a recommended purchase for the hardware collector (video game or DVD), but not necessarily for the general gamer.
So, Nintendo Wifi Connection. It sucks, really, really hard. Don't kid yourself, if you are looking for a competent online service you certainly will not find it in the land of Nintendo. Just hearing the words "Friend Code" is like listening to a teacher use her fingernails against a blackboard. It simply is not a nice thing, I tell ya. For a company leading the pack in sales, they certainly have no idea how to capitalize on the burgeoning market of digitally distributed content.
So, what is this I am hearing about Wii Pay and Play? An upcharge for online? Perhaps, but right now we just don't know. What we do know is that Wii Pay and Play will be collecting money for "services that will adapt flexibility". What the hell does that mean? Kotaku speculated, so will I. It sounds as though Nintendo wants to print more money. More money that it does not need. So, perhaps they want to screw you, John Q. Consumer. Do you enjoy getting screwed? Personally, the thought of being raped by Nintendo does not entice me.
Perhaps Nintendo will wow us with something that is truly amazing. Show us what you mean, Nintendo, rather than being ultra cryptic about things. Show us that you are going to use this "system" for something awesome. Given your track record in the world of digital distribution and online gaming, I somehow seriously doubt it.
After a bit of a coding rest it's time for me to get the ball rolling on the next big project. This project encompasses tweaking the games database so that downloadable games can be added to the database. It seems as though digital distribution is going to be the future, and we want to continue to be the classic and modern video games database. In that sense, onward ho!
So, while we know that this is going to be the next project, we want your input regarding how you think we should actually do it. We want to do this tweak right, and I want to make sure that the tweaks are things that you all agree with. To accomplish this, I have created a forum thread regarding crafting the architecture for this project. We need your help! With your input, we can ensure that this project turns out great.
Microsoft has the stage for the keynote this year at GDC, and here's a rundown of what they stated:
Seven games sold over one million units each on 360 last holiday season. Impressive numbers I must say.
"Games sell better on 360 because they play better on 360." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Shut it, asshole! Don't take Sony's arrogance of years past because that is not true at all, my friend. Oh well, yay self promotion.
Over 1 billion achievements have been unlocked on Xbox Live. Half of those by Tynstar.
Gamers have spent over $250 million on Xbox Live Marketplace on gaming related content.
There are over 100,000 pieces of saved film content for Halo 3 uploaded each day by game players. That's 30% videos than what YouTube gets daily.
Three million songs for Rock Band have been bought.
Xbox Live Community Games is announced. This new platform is about "democratizing" game distriubtion and allowing everyone to publish games. One of the games shown is called JellyCar, and goddamn does it look AWESOME. They show off some other ones that I haven't seen pictures of yet, but JellyCar is just too awesome for me to care. Demos of the games shown are up on Xbox Live Marketplace now.
Guess what? Games are coming to the dead MP3 player Zune. You'll be able to play custom XNA games on Windows, Xbox, and Zune. Most impressive, but who the hell actually owns a Zune (or for that matter wants one)?
AAAAAAAAAAAND Michael Catz, president of Epic Games comes out on stage to show off the next version of the Unreal Engine and talks about Gears of war...where does this lead? Nowhere. Just a little tech demo. Nothing about Gears of War 2 announced...YET
Exclusive GTA4 downloadable episodes this fall. Take that PS3 owners!
Tomonobu Itagaki shows off Ninja Gaiden 2...and the controller fails and he has to reconnect it. Funny stuff, funny stuff. Ninja Gaiden 2 will allow you to take videos and upload them to the internet just like in Halo 3. Again, a 360 exclusive, coming out June 3.
Peter Molyneux comes out to demonstrate Fable 2. One of the new features is a game that's like roulette and craps combined. But, the thing is that this game will be released on Xbox Live Arcade a few weeks before Fable 2 comes out and you'll be able to take the money won in that game and import it into Fable 2. Very very neat idea if I must say so myself. Another new feature: co-op mode. You will be able to call up any character in Fable 2 by logging in as that user on Xbox Live. So, basically, if you want to go play co-op on Fable 2 with a friend, you don't need a memory. You can just login on your friend's system and your character will be imported into the game. Now, if you get any gold/experience playing co-op, you can take it back to your own game. Nice touch. He shows off the combat system.
At the end of the show, just as everyone thinks it's going to end, the screen turns red, shows some guy fighting a locust and chainsawing him to death, CliffyB comes out with a chainsaw and says "GEARS OF WAR 2 WILL BE EXCLUSIVE TO XBOX 360 THIS NOVEMBER." Wow. I sure as hell didn'tsee that one coming...
Overall, meh, I don't care about MS so nothing here really struck me as being compelling, except the whole Xbox Live Community Games thing. I like how that might shape up to be. Otherwise they made me roll my eyes with that whole "games play better on 360" trash and laugh at the Zune.
Remember, this week is GDC and the main show starts today. Well, here's the frist big news of the show: Nintendo has revealed the release dates for both Wii Fit and WiiWare, and oddly enough they are within a week of each other!
WiiWare hits first on May 12. The games that will launch on the service are not known yet, but Nintendo stated in their press release that some of the early WiiWare games would be Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King, LostWinds, and an episodic game series from one of my favorite developers, Telltale Games. Other known WiiWare games are Bomberman, Gravitronix, Pokemon Farm, Dr. Mario & Bacteria Extermination, IGF Grand Prize finalist World of Goo, and the amazing looking Eternity's Child. Pricing or size on the games are unknown, but I imagine we'll hear more as launch gets closer.
Nintendo has also announced a May 19 release date (just six days after WiiWare!) for their bathroom scale/game combo, Wii Fit. If you've been living under a rock for the past year and don't know what Wii Fit is, it's basically trying to further the Wii's reputation as a fitness machine (and as a gimmicky minigame machine). Honestly, I don't care one bit about Wii Fit, so here's a link to Wikipedia's article on it.
I'm really excited for WiiWare as this could be the breakthrough that the Wii needs to appeal to me. What I really hope to see is indie developers dream up imaginative ways to use the Wiimote and make innovative games that Nintendo would never think of. Hopefully we'll see more of a indie-driven, innovative and creative environment on there rather than a bunch of existing franchises made for the service. It's looking to be a mix of both with estabilished franchises like Pokemon and Final Fantasy, but those games will be mixed with stuff like Eternity's Child. If we get more games that are like that, then the WiiWare games might possibly end up being better than the actual disc-based games. One can only hope, I guess.
Anyways, be sure to keep it on RFG for all the important GDC news.
Its official. The war is over. Toshiba recently announced that not only they aim to halt production of HD-DVD products, but they intend on doing it soon to allow for progression into the digital age (of Blu-Ray). Of course, this comes after weeks... even months of hard hits from retailers, rental businesses, and film studios announcing Blu-Ray exclusivity. The most recent was long-time HD-DVD supporter, Universal. How much longer can you plan on seeing those red tabs on store shelves? March 2008, according to the key manufacturer.
One reassuring vote of confidence remains for standard DVD, as Toshiba states that they stand committed to the format.
Read it for yourself. Check out the press release after the break.
GDC. Also known as the Game Developer's Conference, it is now one of the more, if not the most important gaming expo / conference now that E3 is a shell of its former self. All the major gaming outlets cover it intensely. We here at RF Generation wish to be just like those other outlets, and that is why we'll be posting news and information that we deem worthy. Certainly, no one on our staff is at GDC, but that doesn't mean we can't post the news as we hear it.
So, it is likely that there will be plenty of news to come out of this year's GDC. Is there anything you want to hear? Is there anything you expect to hear? Certainly, for me there is, and perhaps there is for you as well.
Many have doubted this event's authenticity, however a team of four enterprising Auburn University students have decided to team up and make E.T.'s March, a documentary about them trying to locate the landfill where Atari buried all these games. Together, the four students will travel from Auburn, Alabama to El Paso, Texas, which is where the Atari plant was located. From there, they will travel from El Paso to the landfill in Alamogordo, recreating the path that the semitrucks took, while in the meantime taking in the video game culture of the United States.
Judging by the website, they seem very determined to locate this goldmine of video gaming history, and the documentary should prove to be a very interesting watch. Now, I haven't seen King of Kong, the other video game documentary that's been making waves lately, but I can imagine that E.T.'s March must have been inspired by it and the critical acclaim it has been receiving.
The filming of the documentary will take place from March 15-23 and will be released over the internet sometime this summer. There are no plans for a theatrical or DVD release stated on the website, but I assume that they would be willing to do something like that if the right distributor steps in and funds them.
While you're waiting for the film to be released, here's a great, well-researched site all about the E.T. burial story: http://atari.digital-madman.com/
Check it out. Activision comes through. Did you find yourself ticked off by your Mono Experience known as Guitar Hero III for the Wii? Did you fill out the pre-claim form on Activision's Website? If you did, start checking your mail. You might be getting the above form and a prepaid, address envelope in the mail. Send in the disc and the form (click the above image to see it in its full glory) and you'll have a not so mono experience in 3-4 weeks.
Have not yet filed a claim? Do so here. Kudos to Activision for staying true to their word.
Prior to releasing their revolutionary controller with the debut of Wii, Nintendo had previously experimented with this in 1995 with the release of Laserbirdie, a golf game simulator for the Super Famicom. Though Nintendo does own the bragging rights to be the first to actually implement motion-sensing technology into a game, the Wii can not lay the same claim in regards to a console. That honor belongs to SSD Company Limited with their release in 2004 of the XaviX Interactive System (XaviXPORT).
The XaviXPORT was the first home video game console that fully utilized and required the use of full, wireless motion-sensing controllers. No games are included with the system - game packs, all sport/fitness related, are sold separately that include the game and a specialized controller shaped like the athletic equipment used in the respective game (i.e. golf club or tennis racquet). Besides being the first console devoted entirely to this new technology, the XaviXPORT has a number of other unique features - some good, others not so much.
The XaviXPORT makes the Sony Playstation 2 slimline model look like a behemoth. This system has to be one of the smallest consoles ever made measuring 1.0" H x 7.0" W x 5.5" D and weighs less than 1 pound. The front of the simple satin-silver casing features two (2) push buttons to the left (power and reset) with the infrared receiver on the right. A stylish, clean XaviX logo is featured front and center. The top of the system is more of the same - straight, easy to use features (four (4) up/down buttons flanked by an enlarged Rest and Enter button). The cool-olive colored game cartridge slot also resides here. Standard AV connection jacks, power and an AV Out port adorn the back of the system. This is as simple as it gets. The XaviXPORT hardware mirrors the simplicity of the main console design.
The XaviXPORT system, contrary to the innovations delivered in their game interface devices, harkened back to a method used in the 1970's of delivering gaming applications and processor in one medium - through the cartridge itself. I am not sure of the exact specs of the internal components of the XaviXPORT (though I have read is of an 8-bit variety), though it is safe to say that some basic processors are included to process sound and video output along with the software bridge required to communicate with the cartridges. The premise here, as it was back with Pong-On-A-Chip technology (PC-50x family), was to include the processing power onto the game cartridge to avoid having to keep upgrading the central system every time a leap in technology occurred. In theory, this is an excellent approach to keeping the games up to date and providing the gamer the best experience. Now to the important question - what about the games?
Interactive sport and fitness games are the only genre for this system. A total of eight ( 8 ) applications have been released for the XaviXPORT from golf to baseball to fishing to boxing. I would have to say the graphics are somewhat similar to the 3DO - obviously not that great considering the year of its release. The games are fun though - physically demanding you to get off of your couch and participate. Correct positioning of the system is paramount for the optimal enjoyment because the game peripherals range does not seem to be that great (maybe 15-20 feet or so). If you are looking for a good workout, you will not be disappointed.
Overall, the XaviXPORT is truly a first among video game consoles. SSD Company Limited fully embraced wireless, motion-sensing technology and ran with it. Having to compete in the marketplace with the Sony Playstation 2 and Microsoft Xbox did not help their cause, nor did the lack of their brand name recognition. I rather view this system like Worlds of Wonder release of the Action Max - intriguing technology at the time, but too much competition to overcome.
The XaviXPORT is still being sold in some select stores (both online and retail). A brand new system costs $80 USD, with games running approximately $50 USD (some higher). This is a recommended purchase for the gamer that likes to get a physical workout and fun game experience but is not necessarily addicted to cutting edge technology. This is also a recommended purchase for the console collector due to the place in history that the XaviXPORT will have and the small library of readily available for purchase games.
You may have noticed that the average Wii game tends to... suck in the graphics department. How the hell is it that the most graphically taxing game for the Wii is Super Mario Galaxy? Certainly, that games looks nice, but they can do better. Too bad then that the Wii is land of shovelware and crap. Fortunately for those us that do own the system, there are a few diamonds in the rough. While they might not be the most graphically amazing thing out there, they do excel at one key thing - they are fun.
So, yes, Factor 5. They are working on [SECRET UNNAMED PROJECT NAME GOES HERE]. Some people think that it might be a new Kid Icarus. That would be pretty damn cool. Others though, think it might be on the level of Lair, which from what I heard is a graphically amazing, yet horrible experience. Things didn't turn out too well on their first outing on the PS3, but hey, perhaps could be better with their Wii outing, right? Right?!
Anyways, Julian Eggebrecht, the president of Factor 5, had a little chat with IGN. Turns out, we have some new, interesting information. Sure, it has nothing to do with what the game is, but everything to do with the graphics:
Quote
Whatever we're working on will at least blow you away in a lot of the technical aspects. We're really trying to do everything to squeeze the maximum out of the machine
My my yes, better graphics, better technical aspects? Neat, but what does that mean? Face it, from a technical standpoint, the bar is rather low. Will they blow the bar away, or will their technical advancements just surpass the current technical marvel, also known as Mario? Time will tell, but there is also this fun tidbit from Julian:
Quote
Although we're going to use everything for what we have in development, I think the pointing stuff is probably the biggest innovation which we're working on right now.
Again, the bar is quite low, but who knows, Factor 5 in the past made great games, perhaps they can pull off something amazing. Certainly time shall tell, and if we're lucky we'll know something more next week with GDC about to ramp up.
LittleBigPlanet Create-A-Level PLAY, CREATE, and SHARE with LittleBigPlanet! Imagine a world with no limits – a world that’s yours to shape, build and explore. Imagine the possibilities, then jump head first into the reality. LittleBigPlanet puts the power of absolute creation into your own hands. If you can see it, you can enhance it. If you can’t see it, you can invent it. File size: 79 MB (HD)
I fell out of my chair and immediately ran to my PS3 to download that new video. A few minutes later, I was basking in the glory that is LittleBigPlanet, and the new footage.
Now, what you're seeing in this new video is a level being built. Specifically, the level that Sony had up in their booth at CES a few weeks ago. Sure it's not anything too new, but as I said, anything LBP related makes me happy. Hopefully this will brighten up your day a little as well with that damn awesome Go! Team song and footage of the future PS3 classic.
Do you like football video games? Do you like EA Sports' Madden franchise? If you don't and you wish that NFL 2Kx would return, I've got some bad news for you. EA Sports, the NFL, and the NFL Players Association have extended the current video game exclusivity contract by three years. Now there will be no other pro football game other than the one EA makes until the end of the 2012 season, which ends in February of 2013.
Yup. The only professional football game on the market for the next five years will be Madden. Sad news for those of you who loved 2K's football series before the contract in 2005, or if you liked NFL Blitz when it had pro teams.
Peter Moore, head of EA Sports (formerly head of Microsoft's Gaming Division, and Sega), stated in a press release: "For nearly two decades, EA SPORTS has been bringing sports fans closer to the great game of football through the breakthrough interactive experiences of our videogames. Game quality is our top priority, and we're committed to pushing our gameplay innovation, connecting football fans via rich online experiences and delivering the most visually stunning sports games on the market." Yeah. Game quality is their top priority...
In that same press release, the head of NFL Ventures, Eric Grubman declared "This is all about bringing authenticity and realism to NFL videogames...EA SPORTS continually works to maintain the cutting edge for NFL products across a variety of gaming platforms. We like the fact that they never rest." You know who else never rested? 2K Sports and Sony's 989 Sports. They both had good games (in fact, 989 was reworking NFL Gameday before the EA contract), but unfortunately, the NFL license had to go to the highest bidder.
However, the most worrysome thing to arise out of this development is a quote Peter Moore said in an interview with Kotaku: "Sports has that opportunity... to have levels or different types of teams delivered digitally, but I think we are a long way away from that...The model we currently have, where we have the game on the disc and updates every few weeks and some micro-transactions works for us. We continue to look at that, but we're still away from truly episodic." Oh boy, that might mean what all of you here love so much, DOWNLOADABLE EPISODIC CONTENT! Why do I think he's alluding to a future in which you will not buy Madden at a store, but rather over the internet and bulding your own game? An interesting concept, but I don't think it would work well with a football game, nor would it go over well with many gamers.
So, are you ready for some EA controlled football?!
It's possible that you may enjoy the Command and Conquer series. If you do, it's even more possible that you think that Red Alert is the best game in the series, like myself. Seriously, who didn't have fun playing as the Red Army, killing people with massive amounts of Tesla Coils and MiGs? Certainly, I did, it was a blast to play that game. Oh how better times have passed. Since that game was released EA has become an evil empire, and killed Westwood Studios. But fear not! I have good news! Red Alert 3 has been officially announced.
Unfortunately, not much is known at this time about the game, other than it has been announced via PC Gamer, but hopefully by the time March 4 hits, we'll know a bit more. Between this and a official release date for Spore, this has been a good day provided by the Evil Empire.
Why hello everyone! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tony. You may recognize me from many blog articles here on RF Generation, and as the resident Sony Fanboy on the forums. However today I am entering a brave new world: the weekly features! Run for cover, hide the children, and lock the doors, because this week we are being invaded by Headcrabs, Vortigaunts, and Bullsquids. That's right, our featured game is Half-Life.
Oh but since I'm doing the features, we have to make this huge (like my ego)! Why not include all the expansion packs and one of my favorite online games ever while we're at it? So, that's why we are featuring Half-Life 1 Anthology for the PC. This package bundles together the original Half-Life, the brillant expansion packs (Opposing Force and Blue Shift), and the ridiculously fun Team Fortress Classic. Think of this as an old-school version of Valve's recently released Orange Box, but without a kickass puzzle game. If you've been reading the Gaming Diary thread in the forum, you'll notice that I've been slowing making my way through the Half-Life series again and am really enjoying the experience so far. Now, Half-Life is out of print, but thankfully you can track it down (sans expansion packs) on Playstation 2, (legalishly) on Dreamcast, or you can get it on Steam.
Let's take the featured hardware in a totally different direction. This week, the featured hardware is the Philips CDI 910. I've always wanted to see the CD-i featured since it has brought us so many classics like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/nS956FdMPfc&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/nS956FdMPfc&rel=0</a> (and the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/pcNriiII9zo&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/pcNriiII9zo&rel=0</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/oaGxvJQ3-8w&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/oaGxvJQ3-8w&rel=0</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/bNpLXo55yfw&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/bNpLXo55yfw&rel=0</a> and the whole YouTube Poop thing.
What about the featured image, you ask? Why don't we keep the trend alive and feature the cover image for last year's smash-hit compilation The Orange Box for the Xbox 360? If you were paying attention earlier on in this article, you might figure out that The Orange Box is a compilation, just like our featured game of the week. However, The Orange Box bundles together Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 into one great value of a game. Also, don't think that you can only get this little joyful bundle of sunshine in video game form on the 360, because it's also on the PC and the Playstation 3.
And finally, the featured collection this week belongs to someone who has never played Half-Life becuase he's too busy going nuts over Halo. Who might this be? Well it's none other than our friend OatBob! He's got a very extensive collection of all sorts of games for various systems, but he has a soft spot in his heart for the Dreamcast, the same system Half-Life got cancelled on. In fact, that soft spot has led to him having a goal of collecting every single US Dreamcast game and all of their variants. While he has that nice Dreamcast collection, he needs to play our featured game of the week...really badly. If he doesn't, I might just send Nihilanth after him.
So, my first time doing features has come to a close. I enjoyed it and maybe I'll do it again in the future, that is if you'll let me.
Until next time...Channel 3...leave it on there. There's some good stuff coming up.
We are a community of collectors, gamers and the likes, and some of us enjoy to let the world know what is on our mind. For those members, we have the community blogs, a place where they can publish their thoughts and feelings regarding life, universe, and everything. Some of those members might even choose to write about gaming and collecting! Whatever they write about, you can find it on their blog. You can either see the latest community blog entries in the feed you see to the left, or you can browse for your favorite blog using the menu above. Interested in having your own blog hosted on RF Generation? It's rather simple, first be a registered member, and then click the "My Blog" link that you see in the navigation above. Following those two steps will certainly get you on your way to blogging.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy our entries, rantings, and completely unrelated series of thoughts. We write for you to read, so we certainly hope that you enjoy our material.
In late 1994, Richard Miller, the former VP of Technology at Atari from 1989 through 1994, created a company called VM Labs. Having gained extensive experience in hardware development (his team created the Atari Jaguar), Mr. Miller focused his company's energies on creating a new technology to renovate the passive experience delivered by DVD players and digital satellite receivers. In 2000 their efforts resulted in the release of the NUON, a powerful 128-bit processor that was to be embedded within these types of digital video products. This technology produced excellent results in processing complex 3D graphics and digital video that enabled the delivery of interactive content, enhanced DVD playback (smooth scanning and zoom features) and, the point of writing this review, video games. 
Enthusiasts within the respective DVD and video game market are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but it is safe to say that there are many more video game devotees that also are DVD fans than vice versa (especially in 2000). The decision to market a DVD player that could play games was incorrect - the DVD aficionado did not necessarily play video games nor cared about them. Sure, the smooth scrolling zoom and scan features that a NUON DVD player offered were cool, but would the public pay the extra $100 or so for these features? The answer to this question is rather obvious, but first let's take a look at the NUON in more detail.
This processing power described above produced games graphically equivalent to early Playstation 2 games. A total of eight games were released for the system, the most notable being Iron Soldier 3 and Tempest 3000 (developed by Jeff Minter, renowned classic home computer and Atari programmer). Though the developers varied on these releases, the majority waited to see if NUON could grab a significant hold of the DVD player market share prior to investing into this technology. In the end, it did not and third party support (both from the hardware and software fields) quickly dissipated, adding to one of the final nails in the coffin. 
Microsoft has the stage for the keynote this year at GDC, and here's a rundown of what they stated:
Remember, this week is GDC and the main show starts today. Well, here's the frist big news of the show: Nintendo has revealed the release dates for both Wii Fit and WiiWare, and oddly enough they are within a week of each other!
Its official. The war is over. Toshiba recently announced that not only they aim to halt production of HD-DVD products, but they intend on doing it soon to allow for progression into the digital age (of Blu-Ray). Of course, this comes after weeks... even months of hard hits from retailers, rental businesses, and film studios announcing Blu-Ray exclusivity. The most recent was long-time HD-DVD supporter, Universal. How much longer can you plan on seeing those red tabs on store shelves? March 2008, according to the key manufacturer. 
GDC. Also known as the Game Developer's Conference, it is now one of the more, if not the most important gaming expo / conference now that E3 is a shell of its former self. All the major gaming outlets cover it intensely. We here at RF Generation wish to be just like those other outlets, and that is why we'll be posting news and information that we deem worthy. Certainly, no one on our staff is at GDC, but that doesn't mean we can't post the news as we hear it.
We all know about 
Prior to releasing their revolutionary controller with the debut of Wii, Nintendo had previously experimented with this in 1995 with the release of Laserbirdie, a golf game simulator for the Super Famicom. Though Nintendo does own the bragging rights to be the first to actually implement motion-sensing technology into a game, the Wii can not lay the same claim in regards to a console. That honor belongs to SSD Company Limited with their release in 2004 of the XaviX Interactive System (XaviXPORT).
The XaviXPORT system, contrary to the innovations delivered in their game interface devices, harkened back to a method used in the 1970's of delivering gaming applications and processor in one medium - through the cartridge itself. I am not sure of the exact specs of the internal components of the XaviXPORT (though I have read is of an 8-bit variety), though it is safe to say that some basic processors are included to process sound and video output along with the software bridge required to communicate with the cartridges. The premise here, as it was back with Pong-On-A-Chip technology (PC-50x family), was to include the processing power onto the game cartridge to avoid having to keep upgrading the central system every time a leap in technology occurred. In theory, this is an excellent approach to keeping the games up to date and providing the gamer the best experience. Now to the important question - what about the games?
Overall, the XaviXPORT is truly a first among video game consoles. SSD Company Limited fully embraced wireless, motion-sensing technology and ran with it. Having to compete in the marketplace with the Sony Playstation 2 and Microsoft Xbox did not help their cause, nor did the lack of their brand name recognition. I rather view this system like Worlds of Wonder release of the Action Max - intriguing technology at the time, but too much competition to overcome.
You may have noticed that the average Wii game tends to... suck in the graphics department. How the hell is it that the most graphically taxing game for the Wii is Super Mario Galaxy? Certainly, that games looks nice, but they can do better. Too bad then that the Wii is land of shovelware and crap. Fortunately for those us that do own the system, there are a few diamonds in the rough. While they might not be the most graphically amazing thing out there, they do excel at one key thing - they are fun.
Do you like football video games? Do you like EA Sports' Madden franchise? If you don't and you wish that NFL 2Kx would return, I've got some bad news for you. EA Sports, the NFL, and the NFL Players Association have extended the current video game exclusivity contract by three years. Now there will be no other pro football game other than the one EA makes until the end of the 2012 season, which ends in February of 2013.
It's possible that you may enjoy the Command and Conquer series. If you do, it's even more possible that you think that Red Alert is the best game in the series, like myself. Seriously, who didn't have fun playing as the Red Army, killing people with massive amounts of Tesla Coils and MiGs? Certainly, I did, it was a blast to play that game. Oh how better times have passed. Since that game was released EA has become an evil empire, and killed Westwood Studios. But fear not! I have good news! Red Alert 3 has been officially announced.
Why hello everyone! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tony. You may recognize me from many blog articles here on RF Generation, and as the resident Sony Fanboy on the forums. However today I am entering a brave new world: the weekly features! Run for cover, hide the children, and lock the doors, because this week we are being invaded by Headcrabs, Vortigaunts, and Bullsquids. That's right, our featured game is Half-Life.
