Quote:Satellite TV operator to hold televised gaming tournament, provide content to PCs, Xbox 360.

It's been said that television and games don't mix, but DirecTV appears determined to prove otherwise, if a pair of announcements coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas are any indication.

Starting this year, DirecTV is establishing the Massive Gaming League, a game tournament that the company says it will cover as a sporting event, "complete with producer, director and technical crew." As in coverage of traditional televised sports, the heated action will be supplemented by stories of the competitors themselves, told via interviews and feature pieces.

Meanwhile, Bill Gates' keynote address revealed that the Massive Gaming League isn't the only gaming endeavor for DirecTV. Gates said that Microsoft has signed a "broad agreement" with the satellite TV provider that will allow digital content to be transferred between PCs, DirecTV boxes, PlaysForSure-based portable devices, and Xbox 360s.

Stay tuned to GameSpot for more details on the Massive Gaming League and DirecTV's partnership with Microsoft as they become available.

This is so fucking retarded

Quote:Highlighting key consumer products such as Xbox 360™ and offering the first broad demonstration of the consumer features of Windows Vista™, Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates showed how the company is delivering on its vision for a digital lifestyle where devices, services and applications work together seamlessly. In his 10th annual keynote address at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Gates demonstrated how Microsoft® Windows Vista, Xbox 360, new mobile devices and the emerging wave of software-based services will deliver more connected and richly personalized experiences for consumers.

In his keynote, Gates said that the consumer electronics industry is poised to deliver a quantum leap forward in rich, interactive, high-definition experiences.


“Technology has revolutionized how we listen to music, watch TV, play games, communicate, and manage and share personal information,” he said. “In the years ahead, further exciting innovations will unify the software, hardware and services in people’s lives, offering them even richer, more engaging and deeply connected experiences.”

Just a month after the global launch of the new Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, Gates discussed the product’s strong momentum in delivering high-definition hardware, games and digital entertainment experiences. Xbox 360 is on track to be the fastest-selling video game console ever, forecast to ship between 4.5 million and 5.5 million units worldwide by the end of June 2006.

Gates noted that Xbox 360 has also become a powerful application for high-definition television, adding that nine out of 10 Xbox 360 owners currently own or intend to purchase a high-definition television set.* He announced that more than 50 new high-definition Xbox 360™ games will be available by June 2006.

HD DVD for Xbox 360 http://media.teamxbox.com/dailyposts/hd-...c_30gb.jpg

Building on Xbox 360 leadership in high-definition experiences, the company announced plans to deliver a new Xbox 360 external HD DVD drive in 2006. The new drive will offer millions of Xbox 360 owners the ability to easily enjoy HD DVD movies and will provide consumers with even more choices for experiencing high-definition content, in either physical or digital form.

Using Xbox 360 and the Xbox Live service today, consumers are already able to access high-definition entertainment such as Xbox Live Arcade titles, game demos and high-definition movie trailers. Consumers can also use their Xbox 360 system to access high-definition television and movies from their Windows XP-based Media Center PC.

Gates’ keynote also showcased the momentum behind Xbox Live, announcing that more than half of all Xbox 360 owners are already connected to the online games and entertainment service, which boasts a worldwide community of more than 2 million members.

He demonstrated Electronic Arts Inc.’s forthcoming EA SPORTS™ “Fight Night Round 3,” scheduled to be available in February 2006, and announced that a free, playable high-definition demo of the game is now available at the Xbox Live Marketplace, a one-stop digital download center where consumers can access high-definition games, music and movie content from leading industry partners.

Okay, this is going to take forever to set up properly so just bear with me.

I'm writing a science fiction story that's set in a post apocalyptic Earth. On this Earth all but a few of the major cities are completely destroyed or abandoned and the entire globe is covered by a desert. The abandoned cities are under the jurisdiction of the Searcher's Guild who survey the cities and open them to members to go through them and find things to sell. The main character of my story is a girl name Kara who is a Searcher at a certain city in the northeastern portion of what used to the be the United States. She was raised by a man named Martin who found her and she has no idea who her parents are/were.

Alright, now I plan on revealing in the story that Kara was placed into cryogenic stasis just before the disaster that ruined the Earth. Also, her parents survived but they went on to Mars and left the Searcher's Guild with the task of finding any trace of their daughter. Martin find her 15 years later, but after much thought he decides to raise Kara himself rather than turning her over to her much older parents who seem to have created a new life for themselves.

In the story Kara meets up with a boy named Aaron who came from Mars after his parents were killed. She takes pity on him and decides to help him despite misgivings.

Now, the question I have is should I write to the story to where Kara finds out that she and Aaron and siblings and her parents are dead or should I write so that it's just a coincidence are her parents are still living on Mars. I'm asking this because I have no idea which I should use and I know that if I go for the one I like a little bit more [that they're siblings] I have to fundamentally change the basis of their relationship. Also, I'd like to know if one or both sound contrived or too far-fetched.

Revolution - Featuring Tilt Resistance... ?

Quote:iRiver to Rain on PSP's Parade?

There are many gadgets being unveiled at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, but the one that we (and Sony) should all be keeping a close eye on is the iRiver G10. New pictures and specifications about this device were released today, sporting many features that might make the PSP start shakin' in its boots... or PlayGear Pocket... or whatever your PSP uses for footware. Here's a look:

Windows Mobile 5 Operating System
4 and 8 Gigabytes of storage space
3D Graphics Rendering
WVGA Screen w/800x400 Resolution
WiBro Support (Wireless Broadband, faster than standard WiFi)

I am persionally offering 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,003 coolness points to the persion who figures this one out!

Hint: Special knowledge awaits the persion who figures this out!

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Check out this article from the tovensolutions web site:
View Original Article: [Here]
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DSes sold in the US since launch. 1.2 million in December 2004, over 3 million in 2005. PSP? 2.5 to 3 million, depending on who you ask. Added to the 5.2 million to 2.5 million lead in Japan (as of recently), and the DS is cleaning up the handheld race...

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6141751.html

Link to Google Video