A never-heard off company called Parallel Processing Corporation is claming that Sony’s Playstation 3 is violating a patent that they filed way back in 1991 for something about “synchronized parallel processing with shared memory”.
Seriously, it sounds all sneaky to me. Why now when their alleged patent is due to expire soon? Why now when the significant price drop finally boost sales?
As for the “synchronized parallel processing with shared memory”, thing, why are these people not suing Intel and AMD who both makes Dual Core Processors that does “synchronized parallel processing with shared memory”.
The Metal Gear franchise has been really busy keeping this highly successful and familiar title alive, but it doesn’t take much to accomplish that anyway. At a recent conference (slash party, slash stage show), the people at Konami and game designer Hideo Kojima announced all of their plans for the series, all of which fans can look forward to within the near future. Here is the Metal gear Saga 20th Anniversary intro, and a quick rundown of what’s in store for us:
Metal Gear Collection. This is a complete collection of all 7 Metal Gear games — from th PS2 to the PSP. It should be out in stores this week, and it will include a MGS Saga DVD, taking fans down memory lane with all the changes the game has been through.
Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus. Obviously for the PSP, this is a follow-up to the series prequel MGS Portable Ops. It has new stages, new playable characters and a new gameplay mode.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Banne Desenee. If you really follow the series then you’re probably aware of the Digital Graphic Novel for the PSP released last year. This new title is just like that, only offering a story from Snake’s POV.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. During the conference, Kojima revealed info on a couple of voice actors, showed the trailer again, and showed a live demo of the game. This will be the last in the series that concerns Solid Snake, and will also be the last to be developed by Kojima. It is expected to be released by early 2008.
Metal Gear Online. This is the new Metal Gear title for the PS3, also featured in the conference, taking off from the online mode in MGS3: Subsistence. It offers 16-player support, refined gameplay and a strong emphasis on team play. It runs on the MGS4 engine, so this should be a real treat in terms of graphics. As announced, beta testing will be opened in Japan soon.
Metal Gear Solid Mobile. As Kojima was speaking during the conference, his phone rang. It turned out to be a very clever way to introduce the audience to his red Metal-Gear-themed cellphone with a black stenciled design of Snake. Along with the release of this gadget will be the release of a 3D mobile game also based on the series.
There really is a lot to look forward to, and everything is looking quite promising. The 20th anniversary was not just a celebration of the franchise’s successful past, it also gave us a glimpse of good things to come.
Heads up! A new Resident Evil 5 trailer just became available thru XBOX Live. This is the official trailer for the XBOX 360 console. There is news that the PSN Network will have its own trailer as well.
If you guys have noticed, this is the first RE game that takes place in the morning! A first indeed.
Once again, Japan gets what the rest of the world has, only better. As we all know, Sony Computer Entertainment will be releasing a new version of the PSP, the PSP-2000 (sounds like something from an 80s Sci-fi movie), which sometimes goes by the name PSP2. But apparently Sony has another trick up its sleeve, but this one’s only for the Japanese market. By September 20th, they will be releasing a TV Tuner (PSP-S310), which can be attached to the console’s USB port. With it players can watch their favorite DVB programs on their PSPs.
Unfortunately, it’s a 1seg digital TV tuner (ISDB-T broadcasting format), so that means you can only use it in Japan. It starts off at 6,980 Yen (about 57 USD), and weighs in at 17 grams. In my opinion this is another one of those things in the PSP that make it a good gadget, but not necessarily a good gaming device. But oh well.
Also, because it seems Sony loves Japan more, they’re getting this:
To celebrate 10 years of the Final Fantasy VII franchise, they’ll be releasing this limited edition silver PSP2 for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. The PSP itself comes with distinct control buttons and design, and the bundle includes the Crisis Core PSP game, and also a highly brag-able keychain in the shape of Zack’s sword. They’re so lucky.
Nintendo has just released its quarterly report of its finances. Where are these guys popping out those huge digits?
This is a testament to Nintendo’s success with the Wii and the DS. There are also reports that there are more surprises to come out this September. So that means more money for them!
For all the Soul Calibur freaks out there, it’s no news that the well-loved game is hitting the Wii. So now, I bring you the E3 2007 Trailer.
So what is Soul Calibur Legends really about? It’s the bridge between the classic Soul Blade for the PS1 and Dreamcast’s Soul Calibur. In it you’ll find out what really happened between Siegfried and Nightmare, and get to play through the story in a way that’s totally new to the series—3rd person, adventure, hack-n-slash, where you will be fighting multiple opponents simultaneously. It plays like a tag-team battle, where you can switch between characters (unfortunately with a shared lifebar) and even play in the co-op mode, which is still in the works.
Apparently, there is already a playable version out there for the members of the media. It seems that although the game is only around 40% done, it’s already looking quite promising. You use the Wiimote for most of the attacking, and the rest of the movements are done through the nunchucks. Controls and graphics seem better than expected, especially since Nintendo was never known for the cutting-edge-technology aspect.
On the other hand, the downside to this game is that not all the characters we know and love will actually be in it, as it takes place before some of the characters are even introduced (or are old enough to fight). So far, the only confirmed playable characters are Mitsurugi, Taki, Siegfried, Ivy and Nightmare. Unconfirmed characters include Kilik (how old will he be?), Astaroth, Xianghua, and a 16-year-old new character by the name of Isuka, who apparently is the game’s main character.
Let’s hope this game really delivers. But anyway, if you’re a fan of the series, this is bound to be worth it no matter what happens.
