Wii 2 Project Café Specs Leaked

This is still highly unconfirmed, but some websites have published the following list, claiming that it is the final hardware specs of Nintendo’s upcoming Wii successor which is still being developed under the codename “Project Café.”

The specs are well above those of the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, but they are not high enough to guarantee it’ll compete with Microsoft’s and Sony’s next generation of consoles in terms of raw power.

Graphics:
Custom AMD RV770 Chip “WOLF” @ 766Mhz on 32nm process
1398 Gflops

CPU:
Custom IBM Power 6 Chip “FOX” on 32nm process
4 cores, each two way SMT-capable and clocked at 3.5 GHz
175.9 GFLOPS theoretical peak performance (single-precision)
87.6 GFLOPS theoretical peak performance (double-precision)

Memory:
512 MB XDR2 DRAM main memory
+ 1024 GDDR5 video memory
+ 16 MB eDRAM

Storage:
2.5-inch SATA hard drive with 250 GB / 320 GB capacity
Expanded storage via SD and SDHC card memory (up to 64 GB)

Media:
Custom Blu-ray Disc, up to 50 GB
Compatible with 7 cm Nintendo GameCube Game Disc and 12 cm Wii Optical Disc

Display:
Video output formats
Composite video: 480i, 576i (PAL)
S-Video: 480i, 576i (PAL)
RGB SCART: 480i, 576i (PAL)
Component (YPBPR): 480i, 576i (PAL), 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
D-Terminal: 480i (D1), 480p (D2), 720p (D4), 1080i (D3), 1080p (D5)
HDMI: 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p

Activision Announces Call Of Duty Elite

Activision announced a new online service called Call of Duty Elitewhich aims to help the game’s fans connect, compete and improve theirCall of Duty multiplayer experience.

Call of Duty Elite is developed from the ground up by Activision’s new Beachhead studio.

“The average Call of Duty player spends 58 minutes per day playing multiplayer. That is more than the average Facebook user spends per day on Facebook. And yet, right now, there are very few tools to unite and super charge that social community,”said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “Whether it’s allowing you to connect with your friends, or people of a similar skill level, people who live in your city, people who share your favourite passions, join competitive clans or social groups, or upload, view and comment on the incredible mass of player-generated content, or watch and comment on exclusive created content, Call of Duty Elite will give people more ways to connect with fellow players than ever before. Elite will also allow players of every level to improve their game with an intuitive suite of tools, and compete in tournaments for both real and virtual prizes.”

Elite will offer two-way communication between the service and the game, so that the choices and decisions that players make in Elite through the mobile and web interfaces will affect their in-game experience.  The service will be fully integrated into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and will launch alongside the game on 8th November, 2011 .

Call of Duty Elite’s features and services engage the community in three key ways:
·         Connect: Call of Duty Elite gives players control over their multiplayer experience, transforming it into a true social network. Players can compete against friends, players of similar skill levels and players with similar interests, join groups, join clans, and play in organized tournaments. They can also track the performance, progress and activity of their entire network, both in the game itself, as well as through mobile and web interfaces.  Elite will be an "always on" way for players to connect with the Call of Duty community.
·         Compete: Call of Duty Elite establishes an exciting, competitive environment for multiplayer. Players will have available a constant stream of events and competitions, tiered to group them with those with similar abilities.  Both in-game and real-world prizes will be rewarded to all skill levels.
·         Improve:  Call of Duty Elite is like having a personal online coach. It provides players with a dynamic strategy guide that tracks their statistics and performances down to the most minute details.  It can show gamers how they stack up against their friends or others in the community. Tools and information are provided so players can learn and up their game.

Carrying forward to future Call of Duty games, Elite will chronicle a player’s gameplay history in a cohesive career record, keeping track of every kill, every game and progress.

“Call of Duty Elite has been tailored for Call of Duty’s diverse base of players – hardcore gamers, casual weekend warriors and even beginners,” added Hirshberg.  “Over 7 million gamers play Call of Duty online each day logging hundreds of hours of multiplayer per player per year.  Of course, the out of the boxCall of Duty multiplayer experience that gamers have come to love and expect will continue as is.  However, for those players looking for more, Call of Duty Elite will supercharge their experience.”

Many key features of Call of Duty Elite will be available to Call of Dutyplayers free of charge, but a paid membership will include more. Activision has promised that all content offered through Elite will sell “for less than the cost of any comparable online entertainment service currently in the market.”

The service will be accessible on a number of platforms - via web browsers, mobile devices, through game consoles and within the game interface itself - so that players can connect with Call of Duty Elitewhenever and wherever they want.

Call of Duty Elite will launch this autumn with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. However, to test the scale of the service, Activision will hold a public beta this summer for Elite with Call of Duty®: Black Ops.

EA Launches Origin Service To Compete With Steam

EA announced today the launch of its digital gaming platform: Origin.

Origin allows gamers to buy, download and play games for PC and mobile devices from EA and its partners. Origin will also include social networking features.

EA has also launched the Origin beta desktop application which can be used to access all Origin features.

Origin will also be available on the go with a mobile platform that gives you access to your profile and lets you connect and play with friends in EA’s smartphone titles, including SCRABBLE and the upcoming mobile version of Battlefield 3.  In the future, mobile gamers will also be able to see which games their friends are playing, as well as compare high scores and compete for bragging rights.

After EA’s press conference next week at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, Origin users will also be able to access exclusive game content and trailers for Mass Effect 3, FIFA 12, SSX, Need for Speed: The Run, STAR WARS: The Old Republic, The Sims 3 and Battlefield 3. EA’s E3 press conference is scheduled for 12:30PM PST on June 6, 2011.

Mass Effect 3 Supports Kinect

The Mass Effect 3 box art found alongside this article was posted then removed promptly on the EA Store yesterday.

In case you didn’t notice it, the narrow purple band above the game’s logo states that the game is “Better With Kinect Sensor.”

The game was originally schedule for release this year, but was delayed to 2012 with the addition of "some new ways to play" as the main reason given.

The note on the box art indicates that the game is playable without Kinect. It is reasonable to speculate if the game will use hand gestures or voice commands to give orders to squad members.

Sony: Cheap Mobile Game Threaten NGP And 3DS

Nintendo has sounded its concerns more than once that the greatest threat to the success of its 3DS is the low price point of mobile games. Now Sony is echoing those concerns for its upcoming NGP.

"The problem is the same. We are dealing with the same issue that Nintendo is," Sony's worldwide studios head Shuhei Yoshida said.

“It's up to content publishers, including ourselves, to show people that this is worth £25 or £30 as opposed to 59p. You cannot release the same content that you put on the iPhone for a dollar on to NGP or some other consoles and expect people to pay 20 times that.”

But that doesn’t mean that mobile games can compete with NGP’s in terms of quality or gameplay, Yoshida reiterated.

“There's no one clear competitor in terms of what NGP offers,”he said. “NGP's going to establish itself as the unique thing that people want to have. NGP cannot be placed against smartphones. You can't make phone calls on it and it's too big to fit into your pocket.”

American Army Uses CryEngine 3 For Virtual Reality Training

The U.S. Army has adopted Crytek’s CryEngine 3 to create the “first-ever, fully immersive virtual simulation training program for soldiers.”

According to the press release, the new “Dismounted Soldier Training System” will enable U.S. soldiers, leaders and units to train in a virtual environment to increase the quality of instruction and combat preparedness, while at the same time reducing traditional training expenses associated with large-scale instruction facilities.

Soldiers training with the system will wear a special VR helmet with head tracking, stereo speakers and a microphone, as well as body-mounted sensors and handheld weapons. The full-body suit can read actions such as leaning around or under obstacles or making hand gestures, and translate them into the simulation for other participants to virtually see.

“The goal of Dismounted Soldier is to provide our deploying soldiers with the best available training to ensure that they maintain the military advantage,” said Intelligent Decisions’ President and CEO Harry Martin. “Intelligent Decisions is uniquely qualified to respond to the constantly evolving needs of our armed forces through virtual simulation and training and we look forward to working closely with the Army to achieve their strategic vision. Without question, the Army will be the ultimate influencer and decision maker for the system so that we can realize their long-term goals.”

CryEngine 3 was used in Crysis 2. Pictures of the new system are available in the screens tab.

Rumor: PSP 2 Name Is PS Vita

Two separate reports have surfaced claiming that Sony’s upcoming handheld (codenamed NGP) will be named PlayStation Vita (or PS Vita).

The image found in the screens tab is taken from a blog that has been made private shortly after it was published. The image is said to be a prepared graphic for the E3.

Several websites have also reported anonymous sources confirming the name. Our own sources at a development studio confirmed that they have heard the name “Vita” more than once before it made it to the internet.

Perhaps the strongest clue is the fact that Sony Computer Entertainment developer network website has added the word Vita to its list of subdomains which include PS3, PSP and NGP. Right now vita.scedev.net leads to the development network website unlike nonexistent product names such as ps4.scedev.net which lead to nowhere.