Adiós, EGM.

Electronic Gaming Monthly - First Issue - May 1989

EGM has been one of the most recognized magazines in the United States since the late 80s. Because of their honesty and determination to bring the news and their opinions to players, in my opinion, it became the one most-read gaming magazine. But times do change. Because of the Internet, lots of people have been going online to get the news either to their favorite blogs or gaming sites. I do love to watch news shows like the CBS Evening News and Noticiero Univisión when it comes to national and international news, and I do read the newspapers mostly for local news, but especialized monthly magazines have been losing advertisers, the main source of survival for magazines. Now EGM is about to be history. Ziff Davis has sold its gaming properties such as 1UP.com and Electronic Gaming Monthly to Hearst Corp., parent company of UGO Entertainment. It seems like something that happened a few years ago between Tech TV and G4. Most cool Tech TV shows were gone and most employees were laid off. Some well-known employees at 1UP and EGM are no longer working at their offices, including the whole magazine staff. The January 2009 issue will the EGM’s last. It’s so sad to say good-bye to EGM, but gaming will go on. Don’t miss the last issue of this great magazine.

EGM ha sido una de las revistas más reconocidas en los Estados Unidos desde finales de los 80. Por su honestidad y determinación de llevar las noticias y sus opiniones a los jugadores, se convirtió, en mi opinión, en la revista de juegos más leída. Pero los tiempos sí cambian. Por el Internet, mucha gente ha estado yéndose en línea para obtener las noticia a cualquiera de los dos como sus bitácoras favoritas o sitios de juegos. Sí me encanta ver los programas noticiosos como la CBS Evening News y Noticiero Univisión cuando se trata de noticias nacionales e internacionales, y leo los periódicos sobre todo por las noticias locales, pero las revistas mensuales especializadas han estado perdiendo anunciantes, la fuente principal de supervivencia para las revistas. Ahora EGM ya está por ser historia. Ziff Davis ha vendido sus propiedades de juegos tales como 1UP.com y Electronic Gaming Monthly a Hearst Corp., empresa matriz de UGO Entertainment. Se parece a algo que sucedió hace unos años entre Tech TV y G4. Varios programas chéveres de Tech TV desaparecieron y varios empleados fueron despedidos. Algunos empleados bien conocidos en 1UP y EGM y ano trabajan más en sus oficinas, incluyendo a todo el personal de la revista. La edición de enero de 2009 será el último de EGM. Es tan triste decir adiós a EGM, pero los juegos continuarán. No se pierdan el último número de esta gran revista.

Sources/Fuentes:
Ziff Davis Sells 1UP Network To UGO/Hearst, Closes EGM – Gamasutra [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21759].
UGO Entertainment Acquires 1UP – UGO Entertainment and parent Hearst Corporation have acquired 1UP and its associated sites – 1UP.com [http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3172156].

CES 2009: T-Mobile USA – Blackberry Curve 8900 Smartphone

[07-Jan-2009] T-Mobile USA, Inc., and Research In Motion announced that T-Mobile® will offer its customers the new BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 smartphone, the thinnest and lightest full-QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone.

Blackberry Curve 8900

Mad Catz & Street Fighter IV: Accesories | Accesorios

Mad Catz^® Announces Licensed Street Fighter^TM IV FightSticks, FightPads and Collectible Accessories

San Diego, January 6, 2009 – Mad Catz® Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, today announced a full range of licensed Street Fighter™ IV accessories which are expected to ship alongside the release of the first dedicated next generation release in February 2009.

Produced in close collaboration with Capcom®, the Mad Catz Street Fighter® IV range of accessories has been created to support the game’s unique button mapping out of the box and enhance game play for casual and dedicated fans alike.

Products expected to ship in the range are as follows:

• Official Street Fighter IV Arcade FightStick – Xbox 360® and PLAYSTATION®3

Designed to offer authentic arcade style play, the Street Fighter IV Arcade FightStick offers gamers precision control and quality engineering complete with stunning official artwork. Dual-speed Turbo functionality for each button complete with LED Indicators allows gamers to execute moves with lightning speed while the eight-button Street Fighter IV arcade configuration means that those familiar with the arcade will feel instantly at home. An integrated D-Pad switch allows gamers to alternate between D-Pad and Analog Sticks for maximum control flexibility, while the ergonomic slanted top panel ensures maximum comfort during sustained play. Start and Select/Back Buttons have been moved to the rear of the FightStick thus minimizing the risk of accidental interruption during play and specially created ‘Character Cards’ ship with the Arcade FightStick which insert into the top panel and display a selection of special moves.

• Official Street Fighter IV FightPad – Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3

Ideal for gamers favoring a traditional console controller without wishing to compromise on features, the Street Fighter IV FightPad features an enlarged circular eight-way floating D-Pad and arcade style six-button configuration. An integrated D-Pad switch allows gamers to alternate between D-Pad and Analog Sticks and combined with official artwork featuring an assortment of famous Street Fighter® characters, the Street Fighter IV FightPad is destined to be the controller of choice for discerning fans and those seeking a competitive advantage.

• Official Street Fighter IV Arcade FightStick: Tournament Edition – Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3

Designed for the serious Street Fighter enthusiast, nothing brings the arcade experience closer to home than the Street Fighter IV Arcade FightStick: Tournament Edition. Overseen by Capcom and legendary producer Yoshinori Ono, the Tournament Edition features an unparalleled level of detail and uses arcade quality components. Sourced directly from arcade manufacturer Sanwa Denshi™, the FightStick: Tournament Edition uses the same Japanese style ball-handled joystick and 30mm Action Buttons found in the official Street Fighter IV Vewlix™ arcade cabinet, marking the first time such components have been used for a commercial product outside of Japan. With the D-Pad control switch, dual Turbo functionality for each button, and exact button layout matching the Vewlix Street Fighter IV arcade panel, the FightStick: Tournament Edition delivers an experience unlike any other arcade styled controller. Complete with detailed touches such as screw on rubber feet for solid surface play, unobtrusive placement of the Start and Select/Back Buttons along with a locking mechanism preventing accidental activation of Turbo settings for tournament play, the FightStick: Tournament Edition represents the best possible choice for the hardcore and dedicated Street Fighter fan.

• Official Street Fighter IV Faceplate and Console Skinz™ – Xbox 360

Featuring custom Street Fighter IV artwork, the highly collectible Faceplate and Console Skinz allow gamers to customize their Xbox 360 console. Safe and totally removable, the Console Skinz wrap around the top and bottom of the console and when combined with the Faceplate, create a stunning Street Fighter IV backdrop. Available in a choice of two striking designs, the Street Fighter IV Faceplate and Console Skinz present an eye-catching addition to any gamer’s living room.

• Official Street Fighter IV Controller Faceplate and Console Skinz – PLAYSTATION®3

Featuring custom Street Fighter IV artwork, the highly collectible Controller Faceplate and Console Skinz allow gamers to customize their PLAYSTATION 3 consoles and official controllers. Safe and totally removable, the Console Skinz adhere to the top of the console and provide a stunning Street Fighter IV themed landscape. In addition, the Controller Faceplate attaches quickly and safely to the official PLAYSTATION 3 controller providing matching artwork to the console.

• Official Street Fighter IV Wall Scroll

A perfect finishing touch to any gaming environment, the Street Fighter IV Wall Scroll features a breathtaking intricate design utilizing official Street Fighter IV artwork. Highly collectible, the quality vinyl scroll provides a unique addition to any fan’s collection.

Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz commented, “Street Fighter is the fighting franchise by which all others are judged. Mad Catz is excited about the opportunity to leverage our years of experience in designing and manufacturing controllers and extend our portfolio to include what we believe will be seen as market leading FightSticks and FightPads which include designs and unique feature sets, never before seen within a commercial product in the USA”

“Capcom is pleased to work with Mad Catz to provide the highest quality controllers possible to the Street Fighter community,” said Christian Svensson, vice president business development & strategic planning at Capcom Entertainment, Inc. “Capcom has a long history of supporting it’s fan base with quality content and Mad Catz Street Fighter IV peripheral controllers will astound the Street Fighter community.”

The Mad Catz range of licensed Street Fighter IV accessories is expected to be available across North America and key European territories from February 2009.

About Mad Catz Interactive, Inc.

Mad Catz is a global leader in providing innovative peripherals for the interactive entertainment industry. Mad Catz designs and markets accessories for videogame systems and publishes videogame software, including the industry-leading GameShark videogame enhancements, under its Mad Catz, GameShark and Joytech brands. Mad Catz also designs and markets mice, keyboards, headsets, PC gaming controllers and other PC peripherals through its Saitek brand, and designs, manufactures and markets proprietary portable earphones under its AirDrives brand. Mad Catz distributes its products through most of the leading retailers offering interactive entertainment products and has offices across Canada, Europe and Asia. For additional information please go to www.madcatz.com, as well as www.gameshark.com, www.airdrives.com, www.saitek.com and www.joytech.net.

Videogames are now more popular than ever | Videojuegos ahora son más populares que nunca

Videogames sales up 23% in UK in 2008; Market doubles in just five years

Wednesday 7th January, London, UK/… Sales of videogames hit an all-time high in 2008, according to ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) which today revealed annual sales figures from GFK Chart-Track. Total sales of all videogame software and hardware amounted to £4.034 billion. There was a huge increase in games sales in 2008, with growth of 23 percent on figures for 2007. The market has now more than doubled over the last five years. The increasing popularity of videogames took total sales to £1.905 billion, compared to £1.552 billion in 2007. Hardware sales have been equally spectacular.

Nintendo formats led the way, with software sales of nearly 40 million units in the UK. Nintendo Wii® games were up 153 per cent, with 20.1 million units sold last year compared to 7.9 million units in 2007. Revenue from Nintendo Wii® software sales also enjoyed a dramatic increase of 112 per cent to £481 million, compared to £227 million in 2007.

The Nintendo DS® came through as the star hand-held performer, notching up a record-breaking 19.1 million software sales in the country, compared to 14.9 million in 2007. The leap represents an increase of 28 per cent year on year. Revenue from Nintendo DS® videogames sales increased by 17 per cent – from £314 million in 2007 to £366 in 2008.

Sony’s PlayStation 3® console notched up its first full year of videogame sales in 2008. Sales rose 145 per cent, with 10.4 million units sold – more than double the 4.2 million games sold in 2007. The PlayStation 3® saw a 115 per cent rise in revenue and software sales reached £334 million in 2008 compared to £156 million in 2007.

Microsoft Xbox 360® also continued to see growth in sales with a rise of 51 per cent of videogames sold – a total 14.9 million units sold in the UK last year, compared to 9.8 million in 2007. Revenue was also up by 38 per cent, with £443 million in 2008 compared to £320 million in 2007.

The total revenue for the UK’s console hardware sales in 2008 was £1.422 billion – an increase of 14 per cent compared to £1.252 billion in 2007. The total value of console gaming peripherals increased by 82 per cent, with total sales reaching £549 million compared to £301 million in 2007.

Michael Rawlinson, Managing Director of ELSPA, said: “It is also encouraging to see that the popularity of videogames continues to grow year on year. More than ever, videogaming is increasingly bringing families together with the introduction of so many outstanding family-based console titles. These have really opened up the market to those who may never have even considered playing a videogame before.”

Total videogames software sales reached an all-time high in 2008 with 82.8 million units sold all-told in the UK. The total gross generated from the sale of all videogames including hardware and accessories rose 23 per cent to £4.034 billion.

MySims Racing & MySims Party

MySims Racing

MySims Party

MySims Party & MySims Racing | Wii & NDS

EA Announces Upcoming Titles From the MySims Franchise

MySims Party and MySims Racing for the Wii and Nintendo DS Set to Release in 2009

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), today announced the next two titles to be released within the MySims™ Franchise. MySims™ Party and MySims™ Racing, available for the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™, will release in 2009.

“When we created the MySims world, we believed that the MySims characters could be part of a variety of different gaming experiences. We are thrilled to bring MySims Party and MySims Racing to fans and new players alike,” said Tim LeTourneau, Executive in Charge of Production for MySims. “We’ve had great success with MySims, with both the original game and this fall’s MySims Kingdom. Players have really connected with the characters and now we are giving them two completely new and exciting experiences. We believe that MySims Party and MySims Racing, are great ways to couple the creativity and humor players love about the franchise with great multi-player arcade gameplay.”

XBLA & PSN: Skate 2 Demo | EA

Get on Board Early With the Skate 2 Demo on Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan 07, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Black Box, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that the Skate 2 demo will hit Xbox Live Marketplace on January 8^th and the PlayStation Network on January 15, 2009. Thedemo introduces players to the city of New San Vanelona where they can skate with style and individuality via access to the enhanced character customization tools. Gamers will get a first glimpse of the deep single-player story and exciting challenges in all-new locations. The Skate 2 demo will also feature two of the game’s online Party Play modes: Thrasher’s Hall of Meat and Spot Battle.

Skate 2 ups the ante in delivering all the grit, creativity and culture of skateboarding. Equipped with double the bag of tricks, players are tasked to rebuild their career and revive the skate scene. Now with the ability to get off-board and move objects, gamers can create their own epic spots and challenges, which can then be uploaded, shared and experienced by others around the world.

Skate 2 hits retailers in North America on January 21^st, and worldwide on January 23, 2009 – making it one of the first must-have games of 2009. Skate 2 is developed by Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia and will be available on the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB and is rated 16+ by PEGI.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS^TM, EA^TM, EA SPORTS Freestyle^TM and POGO^TM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. PLAYSTATION is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and Xbox 360 are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation and used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CES 2009: Logitech Harmony 1100 Advanced Universal Remote – The NewsMarket Video

Video provided by Logitech and The NewsMarket.

Logitech Harmony 1100 Advanced Universal Remote

[06-Jan-2009] The Harmony 1100 remote has received the CES 2009 Design and Engineering Award: Best of Innovations in the Home-Entertainment Accessories category. The latest Logitech Harmony 1100 advanced universal remote, replacing top-of-the-line, award-winning Logitech® Harmony® 1000 advanced universal remote, features a 3.5-inch, full-color touch screen and RF wireless technology. Users now have even more control with soft buttons for personalized setup and options to choose the commands visible on the touch-screen page.

Shotlist:
- Shots of people using the remote to control devices in a living room.
- Product shots.